SAN DIEGO – A pair of tropical toucans is safe after federal officers found them stuffed in stockings inside a traveler’s purse, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officers say the birds were found when two travelers tried to enter the United States at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in California last month.
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Officers found the birds while inspecting the male and female travelers and their car. The travelers were detained for smuggling, and the toucans were seized.
The birds will stay in quarantine until a veterinarian can take a look at them, and then they’ll be properly released.
“Smuggling live animals, especially endangered species, is a serious offense and this significant seizure demonstrates the lengths a smuggler will go for their own financial gain,” said Jenifer De La O, CBP director of Field Operations in San Diego, in a news release.
Toucans are found throughout Central and South America, primarily in forests. According to Birdlife International, there are 50 species of toucan, and 11 of those species are globally threatened or near-threatened with extinction.
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