Puffy skirt hid gerbils

TAIWANESE airport customs officials noticed a woman walking awkwardly – and when they frisked her they could see why.

Hidden beneath the passenger’s puffy skirt – and wrapped in bags – were 24 gerbils strapped to her legs.

The 60-year-old smuggler, stopped on a Taiwanese island after she had visited nearby China, said that the rodents – worth up to $A200 – were for friends.

But it is thought she may have been sent by criminals to test airport security.