BJ???
Gregor McClenaghan
* Last Updated: February 04. 2009 12:18AM UAE / February 3. 2009 8:18PM GMT
The Australian man was caught with two pigeons hidden in his trousers. Australian Customs Service / AP
DUBAI // An Australian traveller was arrested in Melbourne after a long-haul flight from Dubai when two live pigeons were discovered in his trousers, authorities said yesterday.
Customs officers at Melbourne International Airport decided to body-search the 23-year-old, who has not been named, after they allegedly found two bird eggs in a vitamin container in his pocket during baggage checks on Sunday.
They were unable to say if he started his journey in Dubai or was in transit from another country. The birds were found wrapped in padded envelopes and strapped inside tights that he was wearing beneath his trousers.
“This was quite a unique way of smuggling animals. It’s not something I’ve heard of before,” said Richard Janeczko, a spokesman for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service.
Mr Janeczko said the pigeons were not endangered and that the case – as well as the birds, eggs and some undeclared seeds – had been turned over to the Australian Quarantine Service to assess the health risk associated with bringing the birds into the country.
Australia has some of the world’s toughest laws on importing plants and animals into the country.
Although the man has not yet been formally arrested, he is still being held by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, which is now handling the investigation.
The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service could not be reached for comment.
The maximum penalties for importing wildlife into Australia can be up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Australian dollars (Dh236,000).
“There are two issues: the first is that as an island continent we have a lot of unique species that have not been exposed to diseases from other parts of the world because they cannot come in by land,” Mr Janeczko said.
“The second is that we have to ensure our animals, especially our chicken industry, are not affected by things like bird flu.”
Mr Janeczko said wildlife smuggling was one of Australia’s main smuggling problems, after drugs and weapons, and that authorities uncovered about 4,000 cases last year.
“In terms of live animals, we probably have about two cases a month. We get people trying to bring exotic snakes, spiders and so on into Australia, and there are also attempts to smuggle marsupials, rare lizards and other Australian species out.”
Others, he added, involved “animal parts like ivory, sea horse powder and bear bile”.
Saeed Mohammed, of the UAE Pigeons Club, said some pedigree birds, bred for racing or for their plumage, could fetch high prices.
“Some birds are worth up to US$2,000 (Dh7,340) and there are people interested in pigeons all over the world,” Mr Mohammed said.
very expensive
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090 ... 37942/1010
