Wednesday 28 September 2011

News story of the week- Hummingbird Smuggling




Welcome (back) to Weirdbeautiful.


Strangest story of the week is this piece about a Dutchman arrested in French Guiana whilst attempting to smuggle live hummingbirds out of South America in his underpants-->
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2042474/Traveller-arrested-trying-smuggle-live-HUMMINGBIRDS-special-pouches-sewn-pants.html

You can read the full story in (the British tabloid newspaper) the "Daily Mail"  [here].



Many animal species have been made extinct or nearly extinct by export for the pet trade- most famously, Spix's Macaw (below), although, in the case of the macaw, several other factors also contributed to the creature's decline. The hummingbird story above, does at least have a happy ending, since the hummingbirds were captured alive.

Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) .
Picture by Joseph Smit, 1878, copyright lapsed.  
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2 comments:

  1. This was a really wierd way to transport the poor birds however as you say their story did have a happy ending. Thank you for sharing it with us and the photos are amazing --bet he had an itch in his pants

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  2. I bet he had a big itch in his pants.

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