A woman has been caught trying to smuggle 24 gerbils into Taiwan under her skirt.
Border patrol stopped the woman in Kinmen on Friday after they discovered her walking awkwardly and wearing a puffy skirt that was an “abnormal size.”
The 60-year-old revealed that she had placed the rodents in plastic bags and strapped them to her legs.
Images from the country’s border force show the animals in plastic bags after they were removed from the woman’s legs.
The woman had been returning from China and told officers that she had brought back the animals for friends but failed to explain who her friends were.
She said she had bought the animals from a pet store and paid 50 yuan for each male and 150 yuan for each female. She was then going to charge 60 yuan for a transportation fee.
Officers believe that the woman may have been sent by a smuggling ring to test the inspection procedures in the port.
She was transferred to the prosecutor’s office on charges of violating the Infectious Animal Disease Prevention and Control Act.
Later on in the day, the animals were euthanised, in accordance with regulations, according to Taiwan News.
