50 Crocodiles Saved from Slaughter at London Airport

Late last month an illegal shipment of 50 live saltwater crocodiles was seized by officials at the London Heathrow airport. The year-old, foot-long reptiles originated from Malaysia and were shipped to England to be raised for slaughter. Officials opened five crates to find 10 crocodiles illegally crammed into each. “It is just not acceptable for reptiles to be transported in this way,” said Grant Miller, a head official at Heathrow airport. “The crocodiles had started to fight each other during the flight as space was limited, so little attention had been paid to their welfare.” Shipping live animals in this way is legal but must follow regulations; in this instance, the number of crocodiles shipped exceeded the allowed four per crate. Since their discovery, one crocodile has died, while the remaining nine juveniles are being re-homed.