MANILA: A bid to smuggle 47 rare animals and birds has been foiled by the authorities at Philippines’ main airport.
A senior wildlife official said Sunday that an airport policeman was allegedly trying to smuggle the rare animals and birds to Japan. The wildlife included 11 tarsiers, 11 snakes, 11 monitor lizards, eight sailfin lizards, eagle owls and scops owls. They were found on Thursday, packed in styrofoam cases which were labelled as aquatic plants, said Theresa Mundita Lim, head of the country’s biodiversity bureau.
“We received a tip last January. That is when we began our surveillance. We already observed (the suspect) going back and forth to the airport,” transporting items for shipping, she told AFP.
The suspect had previously used his position at the airport to send shipments of suspected indigenous animals to a partner in Japan before he was caught, she added. He has been arrested for violating wildlife laws and could face four years in jail, Lim said.
