Italian Man Stopped in Airport with Rare, Giant Egg
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iStock/Thinkstock(ROME) — An Italian man bound for California with a giant egg had his plans “scrambled” when customs officials identified the egg as prehistoric and worth almost a hundred thousand dollars.
Authorities in the northern Italian airport of Bergamo stopped the egg poacher from sending the giant fossil — which is 16 times that of a hen’s egg — to Los Angeles and called in experts to assess the object.
Experts identified the egg as belonging to the largest bird to ever live — the extinct Aepyornis Maximus, or Bird Elephant. It lived on the island of Madagascar until it was hunted into extinction 12,000 years ago.
The man says he had no idea he was exporting such a rare cultural artifact, though he was hoping to feather his nest by selling the egg once in the U.S. He now faces a $5,000 fine and a prison sentence.
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