As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Friday 18 October 2013

Swiss Customs Catch Man With 25 Parrot Eggs Hidden in Underwear

Swiss customs caught a man hiding 25 parrot eggs in his underwear, leading them to uncover a smuggling operation of rare bird eggs worth 65,000 Swiss francs ($71,800).

Having just arrived from Sao Paulo, the man caught the attention of officials with his awkward gait and was apprehended, Beat Eugster of the Zurich customs office said.

“He was wearing very wide trousers, and because he was walking so strangely the agents decided to stop him,” Eugster said by telephone today. “The agents thought he might have been carrying drugs.”
In the course of the investigation, authorities discovered several hundred birds, some of which were endangered species. An accomplice was found with seven rare parrots valued at 80,000 francs, Eugster said.

In total, the man smuggled more than 150 rare eggs to Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand, the customs office said, adding that it was unable to determine the origin of the eggs.

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