EAGLE PASS, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers and agriculture specialists at the Camino Real International Bridge made an unusual discovery this week when they encountered an undeclared parrot concealed inside a small box.
“While conducting their inspections, our officers will often encounter a myriad of prohibited agriculture products,” said Acting Port Director Michael Martinez, Port of Eagle Pass. “Sometimes these encounters yield hidden exotic animals, such as in this case.”
On Tuesday, January 10, 2023 CBP officers at Camino Real International Bridge referred a Dodge Ram pickup for further inspection. A CBP agriculture specialist conducting the secondary inspection discovered a parrot inside a small box on the floor of the backseat of the vehicle.
CBP OFO contacted U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). USFWS identified the bird as Parrotlet, Forpus sp. It is a violation of the Lacey Act (16 USC 3372), Endangered Species Act (16 USC 1538), and the Wild Bird Conservation Act (16 USC 4910) to import a parrot without the required USFWS import permit and full compliance with these aforementioned federal regulations.
The parrot was seized and turned over to USFWS.
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