http://www.nationalpost.com/related/links/story.html?id=2017832



Kenyon Wallace,
National Post


Published: Tuesday, September 22, 2009
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A
man's love of birds got him into big trouble with U. S. Customs and
Border Protection this weekend. Officers stopped the man, a U. S.
citizen returning from a one-day trip visiting a relative in Hamilton,
Ont., at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Ontario after his
behaviour aroused suspicion. Three live pigeons wrapped in newspaper
were found among the man's belongings when his luggage was searched.
Border officials say an interview with the man revealed that he
collects pigeons as a hobby. The birds were seized by customs officers
and handed over to the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The man was
fined US$300. In a statement, James Collingwood, CBP assistant director
of field operations for the Buffalo Field Office, said the entry of
live birds into the United States is strictly regulated.

Wow...
People will try anything nowadays LOL
You would have thought he heard about the guy trying to smuggle pigeons in the pantyhose he was wearing

The real shame of this is that the pigeons will likely be euthanized I don't know if others recall when something like this happened over a year ago -- again from Canada into the US. A bunch of us were on the phone with all sorts of agencies from the US Dept. of Ag., etc. trying to save those birds -- to no avail. The person doing the crime gets fined a pretty small fee when you think about the price the pigeon's have to pay.

RIP poor piji's

Hi Dez,

I'm unfamiliar with what US customs do with seized animals, why would they euthanize them instead of quarantining or even shipping them back to Canada where they came from? I don't remember the other story you mentioned but I do remember the one Ed mentioned. That guy was an Australian coming back from smuggling birds from Egypt or somewhere in the middle east.

Very sad if the pigeons will be euthanized because of this person's stupidity though.

Brad - though I hesitate to provide a link to another forum this issue is particularly complicated to explain. The "why" is the toughest question to answer in these cases. I really hope those birds weren't put down but I suspect they were. The topic from 2008 is documented at this link for those who are interested in reading the multiple posts: Pretty sad.

Thanks for the explanation Dez...sure does sound complicated to me and full of "red tape". Sorry I asked, but more importantly, sorry for the pigeons.