Thursday, January 24, 2008

man fails to smuggle 277 birds... on his bike

smug·gle
v. smug·gled, smug·gling, smug·gles
1. To import or export without paying lawful customs charges or duties.
2. To bring in or take out illicitly or by stealth.

Most of us are aware that the concept of smuggling is based on stealth. sneaking, or cheating in some way. Unfortunately, this concept escaped a young man who was foiled this week in a spectacularly inept smuggling attempt.

The incident happened on Tuesday at a border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus.

The unknown young man approached the border crossing at Dubki, apparently hoping that the guards would not ask him questions about the cargo that he was carrying on his bicycle.

And what was he trying to smuggle? 277 live parrots.

He had surreptitiously placed the birds into six cages; each cage contained between 40 and 50 birds.

"The cages were fixed to an ordinary bicycle. The parrots were stuffed inside like sardines..." said Alexander Tischenko, spokesman for the border police.

When confronted by guards, the young man left bike and birds behind and ran back into his homeland.

The birds were taken to veterinary inspectors who will offer them to pet shops. Two of the birds died in the smuggling attempt.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSN2363197820080123

"If we hadn't stuffed in those extra 7 birds, I mighta made it."

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