A German, a Swiss and a Mexican have been arrested by the New Zealand authorities for attempting to smuggle 16 endangered jewelled geckos out of the country.

Some of the female geckos were pregnant, and experts say the stress of being locked up in plastic tubes could have made them miscarry. The German, who carried the jewelled geckos in his backpack, was arrested at Christchurch airport on Sunday. His fellow suspects, who allegedly caught the animals, were arrested later.

This is not the first time the New Zealand authorities have arrested gecko smugglers. Last month, a German tourist was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail and a 2,500-euro fine when he tried to smuggle 44 geckos and skinks out of the country in his underwear.

The endangered geckos can be sold for prices up to 2,000 euros each.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide