Snakes on a plane highlight Thailand-India wildlife trafficking, NGO reports

Venomous vipers found in checked bags on a flight from Thailand to India illustrate a “very troubling” trend in wildlife trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade, a nongovernmental organization warned Tuesday.

Indian customs officials last week arrested an Indian national after finding dozens of snakes and several turtles in their luggage.

Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as “near-threatened” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.