Six kangaroos and 52 birds in 1,300km truck ride
A Bulgarian tried to smuggle six kangaroos and more than 50 birds from the Netherlands into his homeland, Austrian border officials have revealed.Officials in Nickelsdorf, Burgenland, on the Austrian-Hungarian border said today (Fri) they stopped the lorry during a traffic check campaign yesterday.”The man told us he bought the six kangaroos and 52 rare birds we found inside his lorry for 980 Euros in the Netherlands,” a spokesman said, adding that a “terrible stench” hit the officers when they opened its ramp.The driver confessed plans to sell the animals in his homeland. He was put in custody after failing to present documents approving the legality of the purchase. His live cargo was handed over to a nearby animal shelter after the tormenting 1,300-kilometre ride.A local vet described the dehydrated animalsÂ’ condition as “serious” as many of them showed bruises. “One peacock endured the journey in a 10-centimetre high cage,” he said.