After a biosecurity detector dog sniffed out the tooth last weekend, the woman's friend claimed the cow tooth was actually from a dog, and that she used it as luck charm when she flew. Along with the fine the woman, from China, "had it explained to her that biosecurity was very important in New Zealand", said Mr Spelman. A large cow tooth hidden in an air passenger's handbag has resulted in a $400 fine at Queenstown Airport after the woman failed to declare her "lucky charm'. "If we find something really quirky we might keep it for educational purposes, but here it has most likely been destroyed." "If we thought she was trying to deliberately smuggle the tooth into New Zealand further actions, such as prosecuting, might have been taken."

Source: New Zealand Herald July 05, 2016 00:33 UTC