Overview
- Customs officers conducting a late-October green-channel check at Munich Airport stopped a female traveler and inspected her hand luggage.
- Three small cardboard boxes inside the bag contained seven South American songbirds, and border veterinarians provided immediate first aid.
- The birds were identified as three Grünschwingensaltatoren, one Goldschnabelsaltator, and three Goldbauchkernknacker, with one of the latter dying despite clinic treatment.
- Authorities ruled out repatriation because the capture location is unknown and the animals pose potential disease risks, so six survivors were permanently transferred to Zoo Duisburg.
- Zoo Duisburg says it is the first European zoo to keep these species, and investigators continue a case over alleged violations of the Animal Protection Act.