What do crocodiles, breast milk, pickles, a skeleton, and a camel costume have in common?

Believe it or not, they were all found by amazed airport security in the bags of some unforgettable travelers. Read on to learn the bizarre stories surrounding these astounding airport incidents and many more.

A Skeleton in the Luggage

An elderly woman was stopped at Munich airport, after the staff found something seemingly sinister in her bag: a skeleton in a sealed plastic bag.

No, this old duck wasn't the killer. She just wanted to fulfill the dying wish of her brother who passed away 11 years ago. Grandma was simply taking him to his homeland of Italy for a proper burial.

Better late than never I suppose! As the woman was not violating any laws she was allowed to continue her journey, skeleton and all.
Metro

Camel Costume Causes Airport Chaos

What would compel a traveler to pack their camel costume on vacation? Or to even have one in the first place? We might never know, but this weird piece of luggage caused chaos at Sydney Airport.

A baggage handler was so taken by the disguise he stole it from a suitcase and donned it on the tarmac! The incident may have gone undetected had the traveler not spotted his costume when he boarded his plane! Yes it was a security breach, but it's hilarious nonetheless.
ABC News

Breast Milk Mistaken for Poison

An American mom was unconcerned when staff at JFK Airport approached her for a random search. She never imagined the stir her three bottles of breast milk contained within her travel bag would make.

The poor woman was ordered to drink from each one to prove the liquid wasn't poison! She offered to simply place a drop of breast milk on her arm and taste it but airport security insisted she gulp it down.

Her lawyer commented, "I think the number of Caucasian, lactating mothers who have passed through al Qaeda training camps is negligible!"
Anecdotage

Seal's Head in a Suitcase

Logan International Airport staff were in for a surprise when they found a severed seal head in the bag of one of their passengers. The man was a biologist who cut off the head of a dead seal he found on his travels. He hoped to keep the specimen for educational purposes, but was refused because he didn't have a permit.

Personally I think that's a good thing. Can you imagine the smell of clothes packed in near a dead seal's head?
The New York Times

G.I. Joe Disarmed Before Travel

G.I. Joe may inspire fear in the hearts of cartoon bad guys, but few would accuse the action figures of the same thing. Yet staff at Los Angeles Airport became anxious when they spied a G.I. Joe figurine in British traveler Judy Powell's luggage. The toy, which was a gift for her son, brandished a two-inch plastic rifle. Airport staff are under orders "to confiscate anything that looks like a weapon or a replica," so Joe's scary little gun was removed before boarding.
BBC News

Crocodiles Found in Luggage

When staff at Manila airport stopped a Filipino man he claimed to be carrying live fish in his luggage. Now that would have been weird enough, but what security really found was stranger still. His bag revealed three Siamese crocodiles! I've heard of crocodile handbags, but that's ridiculous!

The crocs were turned over to the authorities, and the man was in an awful lot of trouble.
Sun Star

Ailing Grandma Accused of Terrorism

Plenty of senior citizens carry ice packs to soothe their aches and pains. But while the contents of 66-year-old Sara Weiss' travel bag weren't unique, her reception at San Diego airport certainly was!

Sara's bag contained ice packs wrapped in duct tape and filled with clay. These harmless items looked suspicious enough that Sara was hauled away for questioning. It took three hours for the elderly woman to convince the airport she didn't know Osama Bin Laden!
ABC News

Live Cat Travels across Canada

Stowaway cat Ginger was an unexpected traveling companion for Mary Martell of New Brunswick. The woman flew two hours to Toronto, and then drove for another hour before realizing her prized pet was stuck in her suitcase. The crafty cat must have snuck in while Mary was packing. Her bag was scanned by airport security, but they didn't detect anything out of the ordinary. Thankfully Air Canada allowed clever Ginger to fly home for free in a proper cat carrier.
CBC News

Old Woman Travels with Leather Bludgeon

We all know you're not allowed to travel with weapons, but that didn't stop 71-year-old Rafaela Mendez from trying. She was arrested at Tampa International Airport, when security staff found a leather bludgeon in her carry-on luggage.

Rafaela says she keeps the weapon "to hit men's hands when they get fresh." Well when she puts it like that, maybe it's not such a bad thing!
Tampa Bay Online

Snakes and Pickles in India

It seems some interesting things pass through the airports in India. A local newspaper reported that a passenger was found travelling with a snake only after the plane was in the air. Thankfully it was nothing like that Samuel L. Jackson movie, but you've got to wonder how airport staff miss these things.

But they were on their toes when a young girl was found carrying a bottle of pickles in her bag. Her treats were snatched away at Dabolim Airport. Sure it's a little weird to carry them, but do pickles pose a bigger security threat than snakes?
The Navhind Times

Dead Snakes and Birds in Jars

More snakes this time, but they're no longer slithering. A man travelling from South Korea to Atlanta was stopped with 30 dead snakes in jars and bottles, and some dead birds to boot.

The story doesn't explain exactly why anyone would travel with so many deceased critters in their suitcase, so I guess we'll just have to make up that bit for ourselves!

Maybe they were travel snacks!
LJ World

Think those stories were weird? Well check out these disturbing reasons never to look in a woman's handbag!