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Packed and plucked pigeons seizure baffles border officials
UK Border Agency officers have foiled an attempt to smuggle a mysterious brief case full of dead pigeons into the UK.
Some of the birds, which were found at Gatwick airport, had all
of their feathers removed, leading officials to suspect they may
have been headed for British restaurants.
The case remains a mystery as no one has tried to reclaim the haul.
Working at all of the UK’s ports and airports, harbours,
marinas and private airfields, UK Border Agency officials
regularly come across efforts to bring animals into the country
illegally. Read on for the top ten weirdest finds.
1. Snakes on a plane: UK Border Agency officials stopped a
passenger travelling through Heathrow as he tried to bring his pet
Boa Constrictor snake into the UK by wrapping it around his leg;
2. Pet hate: when a striped animal skin was found in a man’s
luggage, UK Border Agency officials suspected it was an endangered
species. Tests identified it as the skin of a large domestic dog,
which had been painted to look like a tiger skin;
3. Under a vest: a passenger at Heathrow tried to smuggle 40
rare and endangered parrot eggs, including those of the highly
rare Blue Headed Macaw, by hiding them in a specially made vest
worn under his shirt. UK Border Agency officials put the eggs into
an incubator, the majority of the parrots hatched and were
re-homed in zoos around the UK;
4. Pipe dreams: 26 rare birds of prey were stuffed into
plastic pipes for a thwarted smuggling attempt from Thailand;
5. Poisonous delivery: a parcel coming from Tanzania
attracted UK Border Agency officials’ suspicions - an x-ray
revealed two highly venomous snakes, a puff adder and a gaboon
viper, packed inside;
6. Mean medicine: a sniffer dog at Heathrow alerted UK Border
Agency officers to a passenger arriving from Shanghai, he was
found to be carrying 42 dried seahorses to be ground up and used
as Chinese traditional medicine;
7. 8,000-legged suprise: a British man attempted to smuggle
1,000 spiders individually boxed live into his suitcase. The
spiders, which included several venomous species such as
tarantulas, had been checked in as baggage;
8. Holiday horror: a British couple returning from their
Corfu holiday tried to smuggle seven wild tortoises home. They
cruelly resorted to taping one of the animals up to stop it moving;
9. Video nasty: UK Border Agency officers at Gatwick Airport
discovered three rare Copes Alligator lizards smuggled inside a
video tape. The lizards were later safely re-homed;
10. Pigeon mystery: the UK Border Agency’s latest find is
perhaps the strangest yet. While officials suspect the birds were
destined for restaurant kitchens, no one can explain the old pair
of boots also found in the case.
Notes to Editors
1. For Media enquiries only contact the
the Home Press Office on 0207 035 6742.
2. The UK Border Agency is a 25,000-strong organisation with
staff operating in 135 countries. The role of UK Border Agency is to:
• Strengthen our borders
• Facilitate legitimate travel
and trade
• Tackle illegal immigration, fraud and smuggling
3. UK Border Agency works around the clock, everyday of the
year. More than 9,200 officers carry out the specialist work
around the UK’s ports and airports, harbours, marinas and private
airfields of securing and managing the UK border. The officers do
this by ensuring only legitimate travellers and goods enter and
leave the UK.
4. Certain goods are restricted or banned completely from
entering the UK, even if you are travelling from within the
European Union. These include: firearms, offensive weapons, live
animals, endangered species of plants and animals, including
souvenirs made from endangered species, certain fur skins and
articles made from fur skin, certain radio transmitters and rough
(ie uncut or unpolished) diamonds.
5. For more information visit www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk .
6. For pictures please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/49956354@N04/sets/72157624731971273/
Contacts:
News Distribution Service NDS
Phone: 020 7261 8997
Fax:
020 7928 5696
nds@coi.gsi.gov.uk
