A woman managed to get 22 snakes and a chameleon onto a plane after packing them in her luggage

• Airport officials in India found 22 snakes and a chameleon in the luggage of a woman last week.
• The woman, who was not named, attempted to smuggle the animals in plastic containers, they said.

A woman snuck more than 20 snakes and a chameleon onto a plane by packing them in her check-in luggage before being caught in India, airport officials said last week.

The woman, who was not named, had landed at Chennai Airport from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 28, Chennai Customs tweeted.

"On examination of check-in baggage, 22 Snakes of various species & a Chameleon were found," airport officials tweeted, alongside several videos of the animals seized at the airport.

The videos show snakes of different sizes slithering around on the airport floor and on airport trolleys. Some were filmed curled up in large plastic containers.

It is unclear whether the woman was arrested. Chennai Customs did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

India is a big hub for smugglers trafficking exotic animals to other countries, Atul Bagai, Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in India, said in a 2020 report.

"India is among the top ten countries in terms of using the airline sector for wildlife trafficking, this is an unwanted accolade," Bagai said.

In 1972, the government enacted the Wildlife Protection Act, which protects plants and animal species.