Crocodiles found in plane's cargo hold

Ten crocodiles were seized by British customs and excise officials at Heathrow Airport today when they were discovered on the cargo hold of a plane.

The African Dwarf Crocodiles - which are endangered species and banned from international trade - were found alive and well on a plane en route from Nigeria to Korea.

A haul of 95 other reptiles and amphibians, including 12 Royal Pythons and 13 Monitor Lizards was also confiscated.

Officials are now looking for homes for the African Dwarf Crocodiles (Osteolaemus Tetraspis), whose juveniles are over 3ft and adults are up to 5ft in length.

It is believed that the crocodiles were destined for the pet trade in Korea.

Documents to prove that the reptiles, which were packed individually in sacks, were genuine exports, were forged.

The documents said that the shipments contained six American Alligators and four Nile Crocodiles, which had been ranched in Benin, west Africa.

Customs and excise spokesman Nigel Knott said: ‘‘Ten crocodiles, which are some of the rarest in the world, have been picked up by a cargo team at Heathrow.

‘‘They were bound from Nigeria to Korea, through Heathrow.

‘‘Documents had been forged to make it look as though the crocodiles were genuine exports.

‘‘It is believed that the two shipments originated from Nigeria and knowing that they would not get permits from there, the exporters tried to disguise their true origin by forging the Benin export permits.’’

He said the traders probably believed the crocodiles would not be discovered because of the dangers posed in examining dangerous animals.

‘‘Examination and identification of large crocodiles is not without its difficulties, not least from a health and safety angle.

‘‘It is more than likely that the exporter believed that they would not be looked at by officials because of this.

‘‘The crocodiles are on the Category One sightings list - which means that they are in danger of becoming extinct.

‘‘They are some of the most endangered species on the planet, there are only about 125,000 left in the world, and ten of them are at Heathrow.’’

The reptiles are being kept at the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow until their future is decided upon early next week.

It is thought that they will join a breeding programme designed to increase their numbers.

Mr Knott said: ‘‘If they did survive the journey back and get released back into the wild there is no guarantee that they won’t be poached again.’’

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Zoo, which has African Dwarf Crocodiles as part of the captive breeding programme in the UK, said: ‘‘They are quite common throughout west and tropical Africa.

‘‘But they are hunted quite severely for their meat and skins.

‘‘Even the smaller dwarf crocodiles can quite easily take off your leg so they definitely need to be treated with respect.’’