The Strange and Horrible Business of Smuggling

Unfortunately, smuggling animals is a big business. When it comes to smuggling, people get creative with reptiles. They stuff the unfortunate reptiles into luggage and clothing. They’re transported in bags, trapped inside money belts, and hidden in hosiery and pipes. It’s not unusual to read articles about reptiles being smuggled for the pet trade, for food, or traditional medicines.

A Rattling Smuggling Operation

However, I haven’t read many articles about reptiles being used to hide something else being smuggled. On March 6, 2024, the news reported a smuggling operation from China to New York. It wasn’t rattlesnakes they were smuggling. No, it was duck and goose intestines and blood concealed under packages of rattlesnakes! The shipments contained almost three tons of illegal duck blood products. The value was estimated at $147,000. I would have thought it was more valuable. I wonder how much the rattlesnakes were worth.

The purpose of these products was for food, restaurants, and personal consumption. The only foods allowed to be imported from China are processed poultry and catfish. The US doesn’t get much chicken from China, and the catfish is not generally recommended for consumption due to contaminants.

What I don’t understand is where the rattlesnakes came from. 

Rattlesnakes are native to the Americas. They aren’t found in China. However, a great deal of snake meat is consumed in China. Consequently, many snakes are raised in farms. I’m guessing that rattlesnakes are among the species being farmed in China. Millions of snakes are bred each year for food and traditional medicine, including many venomous species. I am very curious about which species of rattlesnakes are being farmed and which ones were used to hide the foul fowl parts. 

Unfortunately, my curiosity has not been satisfied. I couldn’t find any mention of the farmed rattlesnake species or the species included in the smuggling. I will share that information with you in a blog if I do find out.

As a biologist living in the Sonoran desert, I find rattlesnakes particularly interesting. If you feel the same, check out my educational workbooks about rattlesnakes.