Posted on 11/13/2004 7:40:56 PM PST by NCjim
A man has been charged after allegedly trying to smuggle parrot eggs out of Australia in his underpants.
The 50-year-old man, from Lurnea in Sydney's south, was about to board a flight to Zurich on Friday when he was detained by Customs Service officers at Sydney Airport for a search.
Officers allegedly found 23 eggs hidden in his underpants.
The man was searched as a result of inquiries by the Customs Service and the Department of Environment and Heritage, and was charged with attempting to export regulated native specimens.
A customs spokeswoman said it was not yet known what kind of parrot the eggs came from, or whether the eggs were viable.
"I understand they're in an incubator at the moment," she said.
The Department of Environment and Heritage would assess whether the eggs could be hatched, she said.
The man was granted bail to appear in the Downing Centre Local Court on December 14.
The maximum penalty for wildlife smuggling under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act is 10 years' jail and/or a $110,000 fine.
I have heard many euphemisms for what's in mens' underpants but never an incubator...
And I didn't know that Sandy Berger had a cousin in Australia.
bttt
The methods used by these idiot smugglers are reprehensible.
They'll smuggle 10 endangered parrots knowing that their method of smuggling will kill 9 of them and they'll still make money. If the trade were legalized, they would end up saving more birds than they do by "protecting" the birds.
More like ostrich eggs, actually...
I Raised my Blu-front from 1 week. We call her 'the flying can opener"......*smile
Scream scary, but it’s only a parrot parody
‘Bored’ home alone parrot floods owner’s flat
Saw noise pollution came from mimicking parrot
Pedro the hellraising parrot squawks his last
And not least,
She's an 18-year-old Moluccan Cockatoo.
At least he didn't have egg on his face. (Eggscruciating)
What's the penalty for smuggling a moose in your underwear?
"Are those parrot eggs in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
C'mon, somebody had to say it.
Might I suggest piñatas?
The New York Times
June 22, 2000, B-6
Eight at Riverkeeper Resign Over Kennedy's Hiring of a Rare-Egg SmugglerAt least eight members of the board of Riverkeeper, an environmental group known for its work on Hudson River and New York City watershed issues, have quit in protest over a difference with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the group's lead lawyer.
Robert Boyle, who was Riverkeeper's president until he resigned yesterday, said the dispute arose over a man Mr. Kennedy had hired late last year to help the organization monitor the city's compliance with environmental laws in the New York City watershed.
Mr. Boyle said the man, William Wegner, pleaded guilty in March 1995 to illegally smuggling rare bird eggs into the United States from Australia and was also convicted of tax evasion that year.
(snip)
Department Of Justice Press Release
TUESDAY APRIL 2, 1996
FINAL DEFENDANT IN COCKATOO-EGG SMUGGLING RING SENTENCED TO JAIL
SUCCESSFUL NATIONWIDE PROSECUTION COMPLETEThe species involved in this case included the Rose-Breasted Cockatoo, the Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, the Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo, the Slender-Billed Cockatoo, the White-Tailed Black Cockatoo and the Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo. All cockatoos are protected under the international Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (called "CITES") which lists species whose existence is threatened by commercial trade. Australian federal law prohibits the export of cockatoos for commercial sale and some of the smuggled species are specially protected due to dwindling wild populations. These birds sold to U.S. collectors for prices ranging from $1,000 to $13,000 per bird, depending on the species.
(snip)
The fifteen individuals convicted during this investigation received a total of 186 months incarceration, 162 months probation. The leader of the conspiracy, William Wegner, 41, of La Jolla, California, is presently serving a 5-year sentence of imprisonment and has been ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
TC
Take good care of that beautiful bird!
She's BEAUTIFUL! An MC was my first choice, couldn't get one "quick" enough and have "turned on" to Macaws :) I figured those eggs were probably Muloccans...
Laughing! Out! Loud!
An alternative incubator:')
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