Customs officers foil attempt to smuggle toy poodle puppies into Israel
Russian smuggler sent back to Sochi with 10 unlicensed puppies after trying to sneak them in via Israeli woman with intent to sell them
Customs officers at Ben Gurion Airport thwarted an attempt to smuggle 10 toy poodle puppies into Israel over the weekend, according to a joint statement by the Agriculture Ministry and Israel Tax Authority on Sunday.
The smugglers, a Russian citizen in his 30s and an Israeli woman, tried to pass through the “Nothing to declare” track at the airport after arriving in Israel on a flight from Sochi, Russia, and were hiding the puppies in their luggage.
The suspects did not have import licenses or medical records for the puppies which are required by Israeli law when bringing animals into the country.
After an initial investigation, the customs officers concluded that the smugglers intended to sell the dogs in Israel.
The Russian man was expelled back to Russia along with the dogs and the Israeli woman was handed over to the Agriculture Ministry for further investigation, the statement said.
“Exporting animals and bringing pets on board planes without prior approval by veterinary services is strictly forbidden,” said Dr. Shlomo Grazi, head veterinarian at the Agriculture Ministry’s animal import and export department.
He added that “with dogs specifically, the main concern is the spread of rabies, a disease with no cure that can pass from animals to people and kills close to 60,000 people around the world every year.”
Rabies is virtually 100% fatal, according to the World Health Organization and begins with fever, pain, and irritation. As the disease develops, patients will either experience hallucinations, excitability and hydrophobia among other symptoms before dying of cardiac arrest or gradual paralysis that develops into a coma and then death.
“The veterinary services officers together with other enforcement agencies at the airport work endlessly to prevent smuggling of animals into the country which can lead to health risks both to the animals and people.”
The Agriculture Ministry concluded by urging people to adopt their pets instead of buying them, but added that if they insisted on buying them regardless, “verify where they come from, for them and you.”