Bird smuggling attempt from Jordan thwarted at border crossing
This comes after the most recent notable attempt in late December, where a man hid eight goldfinches in his shoes trying to cross the Allenby Bridge from Jordan into the West Bank.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFGoldfinches pinned to the feet of a Palestinian who attempted to smuggle them into Israel from Jordan(photo credit: COGAT SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
An attempt to smuggle wild goldfinch birds from Jordan to the West Bank was thwarted on Wednesday at the Allenby Bridge border crossing by Customs officials in partnership with the Allenby Bridge Airport Authority and Civil Administration officers.Two Palestinians from Hebron arrived at the border after returning from a visit to Jordan. The two aroused the suspicion of security guards at the crossing. After checking in, they were discovered to have 22 goldfinches pinned to their feet by a net.The arrested suspects have been detained by the airport security guards and the Civil Service and Nature Conservation Coordinator and will be transferred to the police for further questioning.This comes after the most recent notable attempt in late December, where a man hid eight goldfinches in his shoes trying to cross the Allenby Bridge from Jordan into the West Bank. "We are taking the phenomenon of wildlife smuggling very seriously and we will continue to fight against animal trafficking,” said Lt.- Col. Eran Gross, Chief of Coordination and Liaison in Jericho.“Thanks to the inquiries of the customs examiners, a brutal act was thwarted today that's against the law. We will continue to work tirelessly to combat the alarming phenomenon and eradicate it.”
