Auckland Airport biosecurity staff have avoided a nasty nipping after finding five live crabs in a Vietnamese passenger's luggage.
The crabs were found by staff after the man declared the goods to biosecurity as he arrived from Sydney.
"They were quite large and gave us a bit of a fright," Team leader Nick Willis said. "One actually crushed a pen when we were taking photos."
He said they could cause damage to our marine species and our natural environment, or be carrying unwanted organisms.
The passenger as escaped a fine because he declared the crabs. However, he faced a $20 charge for choosing to have Ministry for Primary Industries staff euthanise and then store the crustaceans for collection on his way out of New Zealand.
