|
News Desk Heathrow border agency staff have added another memorable milestone, the seizure of a live African cheetah.
You are more used to hearing about them finding drugs, tobacco and counterfeit goods, but UK Border Agency officers working at London’s Heathrow Airport have seized a live African cheetah.
The animal was one of four being transported from a safari park in South Africa. It landed at Heathrow on 22 December 2011 and was due to transit on to Russia.
However, checks revealed one of the male cheetahs was not micro-chipped, a breach of Convention in International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) regulations governing the transportation of endangered animals, and therefore was not properly identifiable.
Following an investigation by the UK Border Agency’s specialist CITES team the animal was seized.
The male, which was bred in captivity, has been named Isaac by UK Border Agency officers and will now be re-homed at a UK wildlife park.
Of Isaac’s three travelling companions two female cheetahs have continued on their journey to Russia, while another male will now be transported back to South Africa
Marc Owen, head of UK Border Agency operations at Heathrow, said:
“Cheetahs are an endangered animal. The illicit trade in animals is a serious contributory factor in the threat of extinction faced by many endangered species, and that is why the rules around moving them are so strict.
“Each animal has to be clearly identifiable by a unique marking, for instance a microchip, to ensure they can be tracked and traced, and to prevent them being sold illegally. At this stage we do not know whether this was simply an error or whether there were other reasons for it.
“Isaac has been thoroughly examined and is in good health. He will now be re-homed in a UK wildlife park whilst investigations continue.”
The UK Border Agency Heathrow CITES team are highly regarded specialists in the field of endangered species.
They work closely with the National Wildlife Crime Unit and police forces on investigations and provide expert advice on import and export issues. They also act as the main point of contact for other enforcement agencies and Non Government Organisations in endangered species related issues.
photo credit: Home Office press office
|
