Serval kittens prevented from being illegally exported to Turkey by Vnukovo customs officers
Published: January 12, 2024 10:09
Two four-month-old serval kittens were prevented from being illegally exported to Turkey by Vnukovo customs officers.
The two four-month-old serval kittens were stopped from being smuggled to Turkey by Vnukovo customs officers
In the “green” corridor, inspectors stopped a man who was about to fly to Istanbul. He was carrying two bags for transportation of animals, from which he took out spotted kittens during customs control
The man provided veterinary passports and vaccination certificates, but there was no pedigree for the raptors. He explained that he was taking the Savannah breed abroad to get an expert quality assessment.
The man provided veterinary passports and vaccination certificates, but there was no pedigree for the raptors
Customs officials doubted the credibility of the citizen’s testimony and handed the animals over to Rosprirodnadzor specialists. The experts suggested that the cubs may belong to a rare species of African serval, which falls under the CITES Convention.
The experts suggested that the animals may belong to a rare species of African serval, which falls under the CITES Convention
If this fact is confirmed, the violator faces a criminal case under Article 226.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (smuggling of especially valuable wild animals)