Florida (WFOR) While going through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at Miami International Airport, a Florida lady was discovered concealing two turtles in her bra, the TSA announced Thursday.
According to images the agency shared on social media, the woman, who remained anonymous, had the turtles wrapped in what looked like gauze and plastic wrap. The turtles’ breed was not identified by the TSA. According to the agency, one turtle perished. The Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife received the surviving reptile.
The TSA said on social media, “Friends, please—and we can’t stress this enough—stop hiding animals in strange places on your body and then trying to sneak them through airport security.”
Turtles are among the critters that travelers are permitted to bring through security checkpoints by the TSA. According to the agency’s website, the animals must be taken out of any containers and transported through the checkpoint. Additionally, the carrying case needs to be X-rayed. Airlines may have pet-friendly regulations of their own.
The TSA added, “Notice that we said carried and not hidden underneath your clothing.”
In March, CBS News previously reported on another traveler’s effort to get an invasive turtle through TSA inspection at Newark Liberty International Airport. The reptile was concealed in the front of the man’s trousers. Officials reported that the reptile was unharmed.
A bag of smuggled Amazon parrot eggs and live birds was seized by Miami airport officials in 2023 after they heard chirping coming from a duffel bag, and the agency prevented a guy in 2024 from bringing a bag of snakes on a plane. The man with the backpack was on his way to Taiwan after a layover in Miami after arriving from Nicaragua. He entered a guilty plea to charges of bird smuggling.
