South African police have arrested two Thai nationals for trying to smuggle endangered parrot eggs out of the country. The arrests happened at OR Tambo international airport in Johannesburg. Police say the men were part of an illegal wildlife trade operation. The eggs came from rare bird species listed under CITES. This international agreement protects wild animals from over-exploitation.
A 50-year-old Thai man was arrested on 20 August. Police found 50 bird eggs hidden in a homemade incubator inside his hand luggage. Another Thai man, aged 23, was arrested on 16 July. He was carrying 418 parrot eggs in two bags designed to look like incubators. Both men face charges for attempting to export protected species without permission.
South Africa is fighting wildlife smuggling on many fronts. The crimes include illegal rhino horn trade, tiger bone trafficking, and rare plant smuggling. The arrests were made after a joint operation by the Green Scorpions inspectorate and police units. A zoo in Pretoria is now caring for the eggs. Several have hatched successfully and the chicks are receiving veterinary care. Those caught smuggling CITES-listed species face fines of up to 10 million rand or 10 years in prison.
Sources: theguardian.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. arrested | a. charged |
| 2. smuggle | b. at risk of extinction |
| 3. seized | c. detained |
| 4. endangered | d. black market trade |
| 5. trafficking | e. wildlife types |
| 6. incubators | f. warming devices |
| 7. hatched | g. confiscated |
| 8. intensive | h. round-the-clock |
| 9. species | i. born from eggs |
| 10. prosecuted | j. export secretly |
1.c 2.j 3.g 4.b 5.d 6.f 7.i 8.h 9.e 10.a