The photo last week was a close-up of our snakeskin shoes. It is one of many objects that were donated to the museum by the UK Border Agency.

Customs officers confiscate plants and animals that are illegally imported into the UK. These species are listed in the CITES appendices which you can search here.

Many people buy things like shoes and handbags on holiday without realising that their goods will be seized when they return home. Buying these goods means that poachers will continue to take endangered animals from the wild which could lead to their extinction.