Illegal Animals Continue To Be Smuggled Into Trinidad

A Venezuelan national is to face a Fyzabad Magistrate next week, to answer charges relating to the illegal possession of protected animals. During a police exercise in Fyzabad on Friday, police were led to a home at Red Brick Trace, South Oropouche where they discovered the protected birds and monkeys. A Venezuelan national who entered the country illegally was detained by police. Mr. Seepersad laments that although Trinidad and Tobago's borders are closed, people are still coming into the country, especially through the South-Western Peninsula, to ply the illegal pet trade. He warns of the danger of unknown pathogens that illegal animals could bring with them. The animals will be quarantined at the Emperor Valley Zoo until a decision is made on whether they will be released into their natural habitat.