Ads by Google Ads by Google

Bat head 'biosecurity nightmare' seized at Auckland airport

The head of the bat that a traveler said his family had eaten the rest of in Samoa.
Source: NewsHub NZ

Auckland, NEW ZEALAND — Biosecurity officers made a grisly discovery at Auckland Airport, after a travelber attempted to bring a bat's head into New Zealand.

Arriving from Samoa last week, the passenger announced the head with a bizarre excuse.

"The traveller said his family had eaten the rest of the bat in Samoa, and he wanted to show the head to relatives based in New Zealand," says Biosecurity New Zealand passenger manager Craig Hughes.

"You see some strange things carried by passengers in this job — and this one is definitely up there."

The head was in a poor condition, partly mummified with loose flaps of skin.

"It was a biosecurity nightmare," Mr Hughes says.

"Bats have a terrible reputation as disease carriers, and the remains could have harbored hitchhiker pests."

Biosecurity officers seized and destroyed the head. Read more at NewsHub.

Click to read more Regional News