A woman found trafficking eggs stashed in her bra is facing jail in Brazil after customs officials hatched out five toucan chicks from the haul.
Police found seven eggs in the 30-year-old woman’s bra during a body search at Foz do Iguacu airport, on 13th October.
But when she insisted they were simply quail eggs which she planned to eat later, they seized them and put them in an incubator.
Just seven days later five tiny toucan chicks hatched out and are now being hand-reared by experts at the Parque das Aves rare bird centre, reports local media.
The centre said the birds “are well and continue to be treated by the technical team.”
Despite the animals’ growth, it is still not yet possible to determine their exact species.
Experts say they belong to the ranfastids family, which includes birds like toucans and aracaris.
Police have the trafficker’s identity but could not hold her at the airport because they could not prove they were wild bird eggs.
Under Brazil’s wildlife protection laws the woman, an Argentinian national, could face up to a year in jail if convicted.
Many species of toucan are listed as Vulnerable, Endangered and Near Threatened on the IUCN’s Red List of at-risk wildlife.
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Story By: Simona Kitanovska, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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