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Swoop nets animal smugglers
POLICE investigators expect to make further arrests after animal smugglers were caught red-handed in the Borders.
Scottish SPCA and police officers swooped on a van in Galashiels recently following a tip-off.
They found two parrots and 15 tortoises – some of which are critically endangered breeds – hidden in cramped conditions.
Some of the malnourished creatures were destined for Borders homes.
Borders wildlife crime officer Mark Rafferty expects subsequent arrests to be made.
He told TheSouthern: “It’s part of an on-going operation at the moment. I would expect that a report will go to the Procurator Fiscal in due course.”
Two men were interviewed, then released, after the van was stopped.
Meanwhile police and the Scottish SPCA are urging anyone who bought a tortoise from anywhere this year to get in touch.
Scottish SPCA spokeswoman Doreen Graham said: “We are not looking to victimise people, but want their help to see the bigger picture and see how far that picture extends. We are asking people to call our special hotline on 0870 240 4832.”
She added: “It is very important to stop such activity as smugglers of animals are only interested in pound signs, not the welfare of animals.”
The bust was the result of a two-year undercover operation by the Scottish SPCA.
The animals had been captured in the wild and smuggled into Britain to be used for breeding in the pet trade.
One of the breeds of tortoise was from the West Indies and officials suspect the smuggling ring is worldwide.
The van had travelled up from the south of England and it is understood the tortoises were being delivered to addresses in the Borders and the rest of Scotland after being sold on the internet for more than 150 each.
PC Rafferty said: “When we found them, many of the animals were undernourished, dehydrated and infested with worms.”
Ms Graham added: “There were five red-foot tortoises and 10 Horsfield’s tortoises, one Senegal parrot and one blue ring-neck parakeet. They were not in a very good state when we got them.”
The recovered tortoises are being looked after in Scottish SPCA centres.
Ms Graham continued: “This was a very good joint operation. It was the result of intelligence gathered by our undercover team, along with Lothian and Borders Police – in particular, Mark Rafferty.”
PC Rafferty, who recently featured in the BBC Scotland documentary Wildlife Detectives, said: “The trade in endangered species is significant in the UK. I have dealt with similar cases in the Borders but up until now they have been very rare and that’s because we have little intelligence on it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the Borders wasn’t any different from the rest of the UK.
“People bring these animals over here and look for people to buy them. And people here will buy them the same as people in the rest of Britain.
“People need to be aware that there are unscrupulous people here trading in exotic species which could lead to that species’ extinction.”
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Weather for Galashiels
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
