Animal Smuggling Recently, more airport officers have been shocked by the growth of animal smuggling Sometimes, they find live turtles, lizards, f rogs, and snakes in passengers’ carry-on bags. Smugglers use several tricks to bring animals through airports. They put live snakes into film boxes and birds into tennis ball cans. Police even found an iguana taped to a man's chest. Not all animals are smuggled alive, however. Many die on the way. Animal body parts are also found. These include antlers, skins, dried organs, hooves, or feet. Animal smuggling happens because of people's interest in rare things. They believe that owning something rare makes them special. For decoration, people mount animal heads on walls. They buy furs to make rooms more lavish . Some believe that eating animal parts will make them strong. Tigers are quite desirable, dead or alive. The fur, the skulls, the gall bladder, and the teeth are all used. No part of the tiger is wasted. Tiger bones are believed to cure arthritis. Tigers are sometimes caught in the wild, but some are not. They are easy to breed in captivity . They are seen in small zoos and are found as private pets. Captive tigers are sold to people who are willing to pay good money for tiger parts. 1975 saw a ban on the trade of rare species. The ban was endorsed by 136 countries. Animal smuggling is still a major problem. It is the second most lucrative business after drug smuggling. It harms individual creatures and wrecks the balance of nature. The diversity of species must be a priority for the next generation.