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By MICHAEL FOX - Stuff
Last updated 15:55 13/05/2010
EXOTIC AND ILLEGAL: What is believed to be a tiger's penis and gall bladder, seized at Auckland International Airport.
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.
Source: http://www.stuff.co....uckland-Airport
