DUBAI: Customs officials have seized 250 goats during an attempt to smuggle livestock hidden in a lorry from Oman through the Hatta border port crossing.
The animals, which were in poor health because of the conditions they were being transported in, were confiscated during a raid by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in partnership with Hatta Customs Centre.
Border security officials were suspicious of the vehicle, which was designated for transporting fish, and stopped it at the border before further inspection uncovered the animals being imported without the necessary quarantine checks.
Saif Al Shara, the ministry’s assistant undersecretary for the external audit sector, said smuggling livestock into the UAE without first being checked by a vet could lead to the spread of infectious diseases between animals and humans.
“Smuggling live animals is a clear violation of federal legislations governing the importation of animals,” he said. “The only legal way to import livestock into the country is through the ministry and by following the laws and legislations that regulate the importation process.”
The smugglers also breached animal welfare law as the seized animals were in poor health as they were crammed into the lorries during transport.
