Belgrade - Serbian border police arrested two Italian nationals after finding the carcasses of 56 exotic birds in a vehicle the men were driving on Monday. According to a statement from the customs administration, 54 fieldfares, one mistle thrush and one woodcock were found in the luggage of one of the suspects, wrapped in nylon bags and tucked away under layers of clothing.
The estimated worth of the birds, all of which are protected species, is about 8,590 dollars.
In addition to the smuggling charges, the two suspects would have several others tacked on, as the birds were hunted in Romania, which adopted prohibitions on the export and import of avian and poultry products of any type after a bird flu virus H5N1 scare in late November.
