Brit Caught With 23 Kg Of Unfrozen Bushmeat At Customs

Story By: Kathryn Quinn, Sub EditorJoseph GolderAgency: Central European News

A British train passenger on his way to London has been caught with 23 kilogrammes of unfrozen South African bushmeat in his luggage by customs officials in Switzerland.

The 59-year-old British citizen, who has not been named in reports, was travelling on a night train from Venice to Paris before travelling to London when he was stopped by customs officials in Brig, a historic town and a municipality in the district of Brig in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.

The man was found to have 23 kilogrammes (50 lbs) of antelope meat from South Africa in his luggage.

Picture Credit: CEN/ Eidgenossische Zollverwaltung

The meat, none of which was frozen, was confiscated and burned.

The man was taking the meat to London where it was reportedly planned to be eaten. It had been separated into portions and hidden throughout the case.

Bushmeat can pose health risks when eaten by humans and can spread disease.

The Department for Food Safety and Veterinary Services are investigating. The British citizen faces investigation after breaking the rules of CITES-Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Bushmeat is known to spread numerous serious tropical diseases which spread to humans from animals. Outbreaks of Ebola have often been often linked to bushmeat which is used for sustenance in remote areas, while in major towns and cities in bushmeat-eating societies it is treated as a delicacy.

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