14 DAY TRIAL // Only a few days back, Border Force officials succeeded in halting several people's plans of illegally bringing Asian fighting birds into Britain.
Information shared with the public says that, when they were first discovered at Leeds Bradford airport, the birds were hidden inside wooden boxes, which were carefully tucked away in suitcases.
All in all, a total of nine such birds were spotted while carrying out routine luggage X-rays.
While four of the animals were discovered on May 4, the remaining 5 were found some days later, on May 11.
Daily Mail reports that these so-called Asian fighting birds are native to South Asia. The animals are known to wildlife researchers as grey francolin birds.
Specialists say that, according to several reports, some people take pleasure in training them to fight and them turning them one against the other, hence their being often referred to as fighting birds.
The same source informs us that the birds reached Leeds Bradford airport following their taking off from Pakistan's capital Islamabad.
Because the birds are not native to Britain and because officials had no way of telling whether or not their presence in this country might constitute a threat to public health, it was agreed to destroy them.
“Based on expert veterinary advice from Defra, the birds have been humanely destroyed to prevent any risk to public health,” a spokesperson for the Leeds City Council reportedly told members of the press.
Border Force Assistant Director at Leeds Bradford Airport Sam Bullimore also commented on this incident, and said that:
“Our officers are trained to expect the unexpected, but were surprised when they realised just what the passengers were smuggling.”
“It is vitally important that unregulated attempts to bring livestock into the UK are stopped, to protect the health of both animals and humans and to prevent animal cruelty,” Sam Bullimore further detailed.