A PASSENGER has attempted to smuggle his pet turtle onto a flight by disguising it as a KFC burger.

The man, who has been identified only by his surname Li, was passing through security at China’s Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport ahead of a China southern Airlines flight to Beijing when something strange was detected in his carry-on luggage.

Li had packed a KFC burger in his bag, but the X-ray machine picked up on some “odd protrusions” sticking out of the wrapper, China’s Guangzhou Daily newspaper reported.

It turned out those protrusions were turtle legs. Li had hidden his pet turtle inside a sesame seed bun and wrapped him up in a KFC package.

But Li wasn’t prepared to give away his contraband companion at first, reportedly refusing to submit to a bag search.

“There’s no turtle in there, just a hamburger,” Li told airport staff, according to Guangzhou Daily. “There’s nothing special to see inside.”

Li finally agreed to let airport staff search his bag and the turtle was recovered.

When he was asked why he had stuffed his live turtle inside a burger, Li said he didn’t want to be parted from his “beloved” turtle during his trip away.

Airport staff explained to Li turtles were not allowed on the plane and the dejected passenger agreed to leave his pet in the temporary care of a friend.

Reactions on Chinese social media website Weibo were mixed, with some users charmed by Li’s affection for his turtle while others condemned the man for subjecting his pet to risky conditions.

“That poor turtle!” one Weibo user wrote. “It had to absorb all those X-rays!”

It’s not the first truly bizarre thing an airline passenger has tried to bring on board.

But at least Li had good intentions.

Earlier this year customs officials in Vietnam were surprised to find live birds strapped to the legs of a man who was attempting to board a flight at Ho Chi Minh City.

As well as the birds shoved down the man’s pants, a number of others were found inside his luggage, including endangered species that were strictly banned from export.

The case was linked to the illegal trade of wildlife.