Two passengers from Belgium were nabbed at Ben-Gurion International Airport by Israeli authorities Monday on suspicion of smuggling 34 parrots into the country in their carry-on baggage.
The Agriculture Ministry received a tip about the exotic birds and was waiting for their handlers to arrive at customs. It is illegal to bring parrots into the country without proper documentation and inspection.
According to a ministry press statement, the birds arrived without veterinary papers or licenses and hadn’t undergone the necessary inspections for imported birds. Had they entered the country without inspection, the birds may have transmitted disease to indigenous animals and people.
The two suspects were interrogated by Agriculture Ministry investigators, and they told the officials that the birds were a collection of rare specimens worth thousands of euros. A criminal case was opened against the suspected smugglers.
The birds were immediately transferred to the Agriculture Ministry’s veterinary facility and provided with food and water and will be returned to their country of origin in order to prevent the transmission of potentially deadly diseases.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
