Officials found 21 parrots and a Keel-billed toucan when searching a sedan at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Tecate, U.S. Customs and Border Protections officials said Tuesday.
When the car’s driver attempted to cross the border about 7 a.m. Saturday, a team of officers used a dog to do a cursory search of the 2005 sedan, the agency said in a news release.
These parrots were among several birds — 21 parrots and one Keel-billed Toucan — found in a sedan at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in Tecate on March 9, 2024.
(Courtesy of Customs and Border Protection)
The team found a box covered by a blanket. Inside the box, they found a some parrots. Closer inspection turned up more parrots and the Keel-billed toucan inside boxes and cages, the agency said.
The driver was detained on suspicion of attempted smuggling. The birds were “placed in a secure and safe area where they will remain under quarantine by USDA Veterinary Services to ensure they are not affected by avian disease,” CBP officials said.
According to the American Bird Conservancy, Keel-billed toucans live in tropical lowland and mid-elevation cloud forests in southern Mexico and Central America.
