EXOTIC AND ILLEGAL: What is believed to be a tiger's penis and gall bladder, seized at Auckland International Airport.
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Brisbane Times
AUCKLAND - A Cambodian woman who tried to smuggle a tiger penis and gallbladder into New Zealand could face a fine of up to $79,840.
The woman was searched after MAF Biosecurity (MAF) detector dog Kelso indicated she was carrying something when she arrived at Auckland airport from Singapore on Saturday.
The dog's handler, Courtney Moore, did a search and found a stocking tied around her waist and a plastic bag around her leg, MAF said in a statement.
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The find sent a strong signal to people thinking about smuggling illegal goods into New Zealand, MAF detector dog program manager Craig Hughes said.
The tiger is an endangered species and protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
MAF said that while some cultures valued tiger parts for supposed medicinal benefit, the risk to the species was extreme and globally all tiger species were endangered.
Genuine tiger penises were rare and could be sold at inflated prices for use in adornment, rituals and medicines.
The woman was travelling with her daughter and husband.
If she was charged could be fined or jailed for up to five years or both under the Biosecurity Act.
MAF said it had yet to decide if the woman would be charged.
NZPA
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Traveller caught with tiger penis
13/05/2010 15:56:01
A Cambodian woman has been caught smuggling what is thought to be a tiger penis and gallbladder into New Zealand.
A MAF detector dog at Auckland Airport alerted staff to the passenger from Singapore, who was travelling with her husband and daughter.
A search revealed the items in a stocking tied around the woman's waist and a plastic bag around her leg.
Tigers are a protected species and Customs is now waiting for tests to confirm what the items are, before deciding whether to prosecute.
If found guilty, the woman could be liable for a fine of up to $100,000 and five years in jail.
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Tiger penis found at Auckland Airport
By MICHAEL FOX - Stuff
A Cambodian woman has been caught allegedly smuggling a tiger's penis into New Zealand.
The exotic, and illegal find, including what is believed to be a tiger penis and gall bladder, was allegedly discovered by a sniffer dog after the woman arrived at Auckland Airport from Singapore on Saturday.
A search of the woman, who was travelling with her daughter and husband, allegedly revealed a stocking tied around her waist and a plastic bag around her leg.
Tigers are an endangered species and are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
MAF's Craig Hughes said the find highlighted the important role dogs played in preventing the smuggling of illegal goods.
"Our dogs consistently find items that would otherwise prove difficult for our inspectors to locate," he said.
In the 2008-09 year, biosecurity officials seized 126,500 goods identified as risks to biodiversity.
The detector dog teams accounted for 9 percent (11,385) of those items, he said.
Worldwide, tiger populations are rapidly declining and all tiger species are endangered.
In spite of this, some cultures believe tiger parts have medicinal qualities, leading to an illegal market for the items.
Genuine tiger penises are rare and can be sold at inflated prices for use in adornment, rituals and medicines, a spokeswoman for MAF said.
If found guilty, the woman could be fined up to $100,000 and face five years in prison under the Biodiversity Act.
If it is confirmed that the penis and gallbladder are from a tiger, the case will be considered for prosecution under the Trade in Endangered Species Act which also carries a fine of up to $100,000 and/or five years imprisonment.
2 comments:
Sheep penis is better. Why the trouble getting hammered with a stiff fine you couldn't pay? Aren't there plenty of sheep in New Zeland?
What a stupidity, superstitious worthless concoction belief to think a tiger private can make a man prowess. Hadn't the soldiers ate the livers (whatever they ate) of the killed enemies suppose to give them power or some sort? Well, if your enemy is dead by eating any part of his carcass supposedly make you better not realizing you are as dead as your hated enemy that was kill by you. What kind of power then should derive from such belief? Non sense!
Chinese believe tiger's penis can make their sex performances better. Gallbladder is good for medicine. They can make very good money, but now they have to pay a heavy price for their superstition.
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