Birds are on the loose! This Texas Port of Entry recently enjoyed a squawking good time after over two dozen parrots were discovered and arrested before they could be unlawfully smuggled into the nation.
Parrots on the Border!
According to a recent news release from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officials stopped a vehicle for secondary inspection on July 7.
The driver, a 22-year-old female US citizen, asked for entry at the Hidalgo port, but she was transporting something border agents were not expecting.
There were 20 parrots crammed into a sack inside the 2022 Chevy Traverse, with no crackers in sight.
Hidalgo Port Director Carlos Rodriguez emphasized the necessity of preventing the unauthorized entrance of alien animals because of the potential of disease transmission:
CBP remains committed to preventing the exploitation of protected animals and the spread of animal diseases.
Homeland Security opened an investigation into the matter, and the driver was arrested on the scene. Texas Game Wardens then transferred the parrots safely to the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas.
Are Parrots Illegal in Texas?
Owning a parrot is not illegal in Texas. This is not the reason the woman was detained. The reason she broke the law was that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects parrots under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Failure to declare foreign plants and/or animals entering America from other nations may result in incarceration. Smuggling 20 parrots in a sack in the backseat is not the way to go.
People sometimes try to avoid the legal process of declaring any shipment because these procedures can be time-consuming and expensive. But hey, it’s better than getting arrested and losing your sack of birds, right?
