MACEDONIAN SMUGGLED CHICKENS AND OTHER BIRDS

9. December 2014.

According to the Customs Administration, customs officers at the Prohor Pcinjski border crossing prevented the illegal removal from Serbia of 40 birds, which included ducks, pigeons, chickens, peacocks and pheasants, which don’t belong to the protected species. A 37 -year-old Macedonian citizen tried to smuggle the birds by hiding them in the trunk of his “Peugeot” car. He firstly told the customs officers that he had taken all the birds over in Vranje, and later explained that this was done in Niska Spa.

During the detailed inspection of the vehicle, the customs officers checked the trunk of the vehicle, and found the majority of the birds, which included 12 ducks, 4 pigeons, 12 chickens, 2 pheasants and 4 peacocks, in cardboard boxes, as well as in plastic and metal crates in the trunk, while 4 pheasants and 2 pigeons were hidden under the driver’s and co-driver’s seats.

As always when the smuggling of animals is detected, the customs officers consulted the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection, or the Group for the Implementation of the CITES Convention, in order to determine which bird species were they dealing with.

After reviewing the photos of the birds in question and the birds themselves, veterinary inspectors confirmed that the species weren’t on the CITES list of protected species, so that they took them over and placed them in quarantine. Given that the person at issue was a foreign national, urgent misdemeanor proceedings were conducted, while the competent Magistrates Court in Bujanovac decided to fine the offender.

Source: Evening News and Coordination Body