HUNGARY: ILLEGAL CROSS BORDER TRADE IN LIVE ANIMALS

Описание: (21 Feb 1996) Hungarian/English

The illegal cross-border trade in live animals is booming, and Hungary's position between Eastern and Western Europe makes it a popular transit point for smugglers.

From lizards to rare parrots, the animals are smuggled mainly from Africa and South America to be sold for huge profits to collectors in Western Europe, the U-S and Japan.

Hungary is trying to crack down on the trade with greater vigilance and tougher penalties but most smugglers still slip through the net.

The Hungarian capital, Budapest, boasts a fine zoo.

Even though the snowy conditions are not what some of the residents are accustomed to.

But the zoo is also home to animals that have been rescued from smugglers caught using Hungary as a transit point from east to west.

This rare Hungarian otter was shot in the eye by hunters but luckily it was found and brought to the zoo to live out its life in safety.

The rare bird trade is a particularly lucrative one, and these Tucaman Amazon parrots from South America fetch a huge price from collectors around the world.

But they, like these red-fronted macaws, also from South America, are the lucky ones.

Most of the smugglers don't get caught.

But many of the birds die as smugglers attempt to conceal their illegal booty on the long journeys between continents.

It is the small animals that are the most vulnerable as they can be more easily hidden, like these Egyptian springtailed lizards.

Budapest Airport is a popular destination for many smugglers.

As the illegal animal trade has increased, customs officers have been specially trained to spot luggage that might contain a very precious cargo.

The most common method of transporting the animals is in handbags or suitcases, although this is dangerous for the animals as suitcases travel in the un-pressurised holds of planes.

In handbags, the smugglers can keep an eye on their prey.

These lizards were saved by customs officials last year when two Hungarian men were caught trying to smuggle them into the country from Egypt.

Despite efforts by the government to clamp down on the trade including harsher penalties being introduced for smuggling, most still get through.

And money is always the main motivation.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
These species are in danger because they are collected from their habitat and these habitats are for example in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe. They are not too rich countries, they are poor and they don't have enough money to save the wildlife and the market is in Western Europe and the U-S-A and Japan. And from Eastern Europe to Western Europe, Hungary is on the transit way of this illegal smuggled shipments.
SUPER CAPTION: (English) Dr. Katalin Rodic, Ministry of Environment


Part of the Hungarian government's attempts to stamp out the trade is this exhibition called 'They could have lived...'

Organised by the Ministry of the Environment and the Castle Museum, it features rare animals slaughtered for collectors worldwide.

They were all confiscated by Hungarian customs officers.

This skin of a Mongolian snow panther was smuggled into Hungary by a Mongolian diplomat.

The museum's director hopes it will shock people and help make the illegal animal trade a barbaric thing of the past.

SOUNDBITE: (Hungarian)
SUPER CAPTION: Lazlo Czoma, Director of Castle Museum

Hungary is one of a growing number of countries clamping down on the illegal trade in rare animals.


Hungary hopes that its crackdown on smugglers will help the fight to save endangered species worldwide.

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