Global News - January 2008

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Smuggled parrots destroyed in Belarus

Mon 28 January 2008 13:45 UK — Europe,Birds

Hundreds of parrots smuggled into Belarus from Ukraine have been killed by authorities due to a lack of facilities to keep the birds.

Authorities had seized 275 parrots from a man trying to illegally smuggle them into Belarus on a bicycle, according to reports in the Respublika newspaper, with the smuggler fleeing when he was confronted by border officials.

However, moscowtimes.ru reported that the newspaper had been told that there were not adequate arrangements at the border to conduct tests on the parrots for bird flu.

"By law, we could have left the parrots in quarantine for up to three days. But tests can only be conducted in Minsk," a veterinary service spokesman told Respublika.

"Transporting them and waiting for the result would have taken a week. We decided to take no risks. They were put to sleep and incinerated."

Concerns over bird flu have led to large numbers of birds being culled worldwide, with the UK experiencing two outbreaks of the disease last year, both in eastern England.

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