The biggest question is how did the Nassau Airport Authority personnel who are the security, not spot this... !!!!

Thirteen "incredibly rare" iguanas that had been stashed in socks by smugglers have been seized by a customs team at Heathrow Airport.

The endangered lizards were discovered concealed in a suitcase yesterday at the airport's Terminal Five when officers stopped two Romanian women who had arrived in London from the Bahamas.

They were due to take the San Salvador rock iguanas on to Dusseldorf in Germany. The lizards are native to the Bahamas and classed as being under threat of extinction.

Twelve of the creatures, which were all wrapped in individual socks, survived the journey while one died.

Grant Miller, from the Border Force's endangered species team said there are only a few hundred of the  iguanas believed to be left in existence and described the find as "a remarkable and very important seizure."

"Given the circumstances we found them in it seems incredible that all but one survived such a long flight", he said.

"The surviving animals were dehydrated and are now under the supervision of a specialist vet. We are also working with experts to find the best way to protect and safeguard these endangered creatures longer term."

The two women, aged 24 and 26, were arrested on suspicion of importation offenses.

San Salvador iguanas grow up to around 20 cm (8 inches) when mature, with the male slightly larger than the female.

The iguanas have become increasingly endangered since the Bahamas were first colonised in the 16th century from non-native predators including cats and dogs and the loss of the natural habitats which they live in.

They are now confined to just a handful of 'cays', the small sandy islands which make up the Bahamas.

Their diet is almost exclusively made up of a plants and fruit from species native to the island, as well as some insect larvae and slugs and crabs, as they live close to the water.

The most comprehensive study, in the late 1990s, put their numbers at between 426 and 639 and conservationists fear numbers have fallen since then.

The Bahamas government forbids all exports, and attempts have been made at a captive breeding programme to arrest their decline.

The biggest question is how did the Nassau Airport Authority not spot this. It is the 2nd time this year the Nassau Airport Authority personnel has been in the news for the wrong reasons. They patted down Alec Baldwins 5 month old baby just a few weeks ago.