A Russian man was arrested attempting to smuggle an orangutan out of Bali.
Andrei Zhestkov drugged the orangutan with sleeping pills, he admitted to authorities, before hiding it in his luggage.
He was taken into custody at the airport after an x-ray found the animal in a rattan basket among his belongings, reported Sky News.
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The orangutan was a two-year-old male, which Zhestkov said he planned to re-dose with the sleeping pills during a transit in Seoul.
He told officials the animal cost him £2,270 (NZ$4,365) from a market on Java, Indonesia's main island.
He said a friend told him he could bring it home as a pet.
Sky News also reported customs officers found two live geckos and five live lizards in the man's suitcase.
Officials are yet to press charges, while they investigate whether the man was linked to an animal smuggling group.
He could face up to five years in prison and £5,300 (NZ$10,000) in fines.
Newshub.
