A man trying to get 50 snakes on a plane is just the latest in a bizarre series of animal-smuggling efforts

The arrest of a man attempting to get 50 snakes on a plane was the latest in a series of exotic animal seizures at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport. The snakes were concealed in the sock collection of a man bound for Tehran. He claimed they were intended for personal use.

Other animals recently found in passengers' luggage at the airport include:

• A tiger cub concealed among a load of stuffed tiger toys in the suitcase of a Thai woman bound for Iran.

• Four leopards, an Asiatic black bear, a gibbon, a marmoset and two monkeys, headed for the United Arab Emirates in the bags of a man rumoured to be in the employ of a Dubai prince. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcase," said a spokesman for anti-trafficking group Freeland. The alleged smuggler was eventually released on bail as a result of "pressure by unnamed politicians" and fled the country.

• Thirty-four pythons; dozens of other snakes; more than 100 tortoises; several turtles, lizards, and frogs; 19 baboon spiders; 22 squirrels; and a lone parrot – all crammed into the three specially modified suitcases of an Indonesian man who had seemingly acquired the menagerie during a "wildlife shopping spree in Bangkok's giant Chatuchak market", according to Animal trade watchdog Traffic.

• A total of 431 turtles, crocodiles and tortoises, smuggled into Thailand from Bangladesh – another key transit point for animal traffickers.

Rare-animal trafficking is very big business in southeast Asia: a spokesman for Thailand's environmental crime unit claimed it was Thailand's second most lucrative illegal trade after drugs. Animals transported to the Middle East are usually intended for sale as pets, but the trade to east Asia caters to a different demand. There's a thriving market for exotic animals as food. A plate of tiger penis is believed by some to extend the consumer's lifespan, or to enhance their virility. At $1,000 a portion it certainly advertises their wealth.