Over 800 rare birds seized in Turkey’s southeast

GAZİANTEP

Some 838 rare goldfinches being smuggled by traffickers were seized in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on Nov. 13.

The rare birds were found during a search of the trailer of a truck supposedly carrying cement to Syria.

Customs officials on duty at the Karkamış customs gate found the birds in cages under cement bags.

The birds were then delivered to the Branch Office of Nature Conservation and National Parks and were later released back into the wild.

The driver of the truck was fined 420,000 Turkish Liras for breaking the Land Hunting Law.

The goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. It has also been introduced to other areas including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay.