KAZAKHSTAN: Kazakh police call for help to deal with thousands of smuggled birds and animals

Kazakh police urged animal rights groups this week to help them take care of more than 2,000 exotic birds and tortoises seized from a smuggler, just days after dozens of parrots died of hunger at a police station. Police in the Central Asian state seized the animals from two men travelling by train from Tashkent in Uzbekistan to Chelyabinsk in Russian Urals. The two men, Uzbek citizens, had crammed the birds into small wooden crates with metal bars, while a large number of tortoises had been placed in sacks. "Police have detained two Uzbek nationals who tried to smuggle 1,000 turtles, 710 various small birds, 100 canaries, five peacocks and 16 pigeons across the border without any documents. We have started a criminal investigation", said Sarybai Sarsenov, head of the Aktobe railway police department. Interior Ministry officials said local police had facilities for keeping people in custody, but were not sure how to look after a large number of animals. They put out a request for help from foreign animal welfare organisations, as they were afraid the animals would die. "We are not experts on animals. Yesterday zoologists came and inspected the animals and said that among them there are some rare types which are in the 'Red Book'. We don't have an opportunity to take care of such number of tortoises and birds ourselves and yesterday we sent letters to various organisations who might be interested in taking these animals and caring for them," said Sarsenov. The call for help came just days after Kazakh media reported that dozens of parrots had died after being seized from a smuggler. SMUGGLING

ITN Source | May 25, 2007

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