Officials make disturbing discovery after noticing 'unusual' bulges in man's clothing at US border checkpoint: 'Extremely dangerous'
On April 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a man attempting to smuggle parrots into the United States in an unusual manner.
As the Los Angeles Times detailed, a man applying for admission to California at the border was stopped after officials noticed "unusual clothing bulges" around his ankles.
When the officers went to check the strange lumps, they found the man had somehow stuffed six birds into his boots in an attempt to smuggle them into the country. Upon further inspection of the man's vehicle, officials discovered a further six parrots, two of which were dead.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Sidney Aki, the director of CBP San Diego field operations, said in a statement: "The smuggling of birds is extremely dangerous. Birds can also be hosts for a variety of diseases that can threaten native wildlife and U.S. agricultural industries, potentially causing widespread economic consequences."
As Aki explained, smuggling birds (or any animal) can introduce new diseases to local animal populations, which can wipe out native creatures. This is because animals trafficked over borders become an invasive species in the new country.
Invasive species can cause a range of problems in their new home, such as introducing deadly diseases, threatening the balance of local ecosystems, and affecting crops, with the latter impacting the human food supply.
The destruction of ecological balance that invasive species can cause has an adverse effect on everything from plant life to humans.
The trafficking of animals can also cause harm to the smuggled animals, as evidenced by the dead birds the CBP discovered. If the animals people traffic are endangered, any loss of life puts them further at risk of becoming extinct.
Authorities detained the man attempting to smuggle birds into the U.S. for further investigation, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Veterinary Services put the live birds he brought under quarantine.
The U.S. also has legislation addressing wildlife trafficking. The country enacted the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking in 2014 and passed the Eliminate, Neutralize, and Disrupt (END) Wildlife Trafficking Act in 2016.
Many groups in the U.S. are taking strides to eliminate the smuggling of wildlife, too, such as the Wildlife Trafficking Alliance and the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online.
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