‘SERIOUS VIOLATION:’ Crocodile head seized from Canadian’s baggage in India

Published Jan 09, 2025  •  2 minute read

An unnamed Canadian man was arrested in India after customs officials allegedly found a crocodile head in his luggage on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. Photo by @AirportGenCus /X

An unnamed Canadian man was arrested in India after customs officials allegedly found a crocodile head in his luggage.

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The reptilian’s smuggled mug was found Monday during a security check as the 32-year-old was awaiting Air Canada Flight AC 051 for the trip home at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, customs officials said in a post on X.

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“During a security check at Terminal-3, IGI Airport, a Canadian passenger scheduled to depart to Canada was intercepted,” Delhi Customs said Thursday in the post. “Upon examination, a skull with sharp teeth, resembling the jaw of a baby crocodile, weighing approximately 777 grams, was discovered wrapped in a cream-coloured cloth.”

Customs officials said India’s Department of Forests and Wildlife conducted a diagnostic test on the head and confirmed it belongs to a species protected under the country’s Wildlife Protection Act.

“The texture, tooth pattern, well-developed bony palate and nostrils confirmed the item as the skull of a baby crocodile,” customs officials said, adding tests still need to be done to confirm the species.

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The man allegedly told officers he had not hunted or killed the crocodile, according to the Hindustan Times, via the BBC. A forestry official cited by the Times of India also said he told officers that he bought the head in Thailand, but did not have the “mandatory permission required to carry wildlife items.”

Officials said the man was arrested under section 104 of India’s Customs Act, the head was handed over to the Department of Forests and Wildlife and the investigation is ongoing.

“This case highlights a serious violation of wildlife and customs laws,” Delhi Customs said in its post. “Collaboration between Customs and Forest Departments is crucial to ensuring such protected wildlife items are not smuggled.”

The arrest comes a year after a 32-year-old Canadian woman was stopped at Indira Gandhi airport after horns from an unidentified animal were found in her luggage, the BBC reported. She told officials the horns were found during a trek in India’s northern Ladakh region and she wanted to take them home as a souvenir.

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