Eight alligator heads and an active bird nest from China were among a number of bizarre items seized by Customs at An Post’s mail centre in Portlaoise last year.
A package containing up to 4,000 live bees was also intercepted by authorities at the centre on its way to an address in Ireland, having been posted by an individual in Poland.
Items seized in previous years include a spitting cobra and 20-cm long scorpion, which were discovered in a package at the Portlaoise mail centre. However, both had died in transit from the Czech Republic.
A kilo of fearsome-looking stag beetles were also intercepted at the centre. These 12cm-long insects are named after their huge jaws, which resemble the antlers of a male deer.
The seizures were made by Customs under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which controls the import and export of relevant species.
A spokesperson said: “Revenue’s Customs service is responsible for controlling the importation and exportation of goods. Revenue ensures that legislation in respect of prohibitions an restrictions is complied with at points of entry into the State.”
A crocodile head from Cambodia and a wallet made from the skin of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile in Thailand were also seized by Customs officials at Dublin Airport during 2016.
Last year, a total of nine seizures under the legislation were made at Dublin Airport and Portlaoise Mail Centre.
These included hippo-tusk ivory from South Africa, conch shells from the United States, five live insects from Thailand, and suspected coral brought through Dublin Airport from the Bahamas.
In previous years, a number of dead animals posted to Ireland for the purpose of human consumption have been seized by Customs at the mail centre.
In 2014, two cooked and dehydrated zebra tarantulas and two sago worms that were similarly prepared were discovered in a package from Thailand.
Zebra tarantulas can grow as large as 13cm including leg span, and are variably kept as pets or eaten as a delicacy. There is little flesh on their legs but the head and body contain a delicate white meat, according to Thai cookbooks.
Sago worms, which are the fatty larvae of the red palm weevil, can be eaten live or fried before eating. The worms are said to have a gooey texture when eaten raw, and a bacon-like taste when they are fried.
Records containing details of the seizures were released by Revenue under the Freedom of Information Act.
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