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Brit busted at Swiss station with 23kg of antelope meat

Antelopes drinking
The undeclared antelope meat, which was not frozen, came from South Africa Keystone

A British citizen has been caught with 23 kilograms (50lb) of antelope meat in his luggage on a night train at Brig, southern Switzerland. The undeclared meat, which was not frozen and was burnt, came from South Africa. 

The 59-year-old man was on the night train from Venice to Paris on July 7, the Federal Customs AdministrationExternal link (FCA) said on Thursday. The end destination was London, where the meat was to be consumed. 

The customs officers discovered the bushmeat in a suitcase, packed in portions. The FCA said consuming it would have posed a risk to the health of humans and also animals. 

It is believed that about 30% of bushmeat comes from protected species, including antelopes as well as monkeys and pangolins. The man was reported to the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary OfficeExternal link because he had violated CITESExternal link, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.


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This content was published on Lörtscher is head of conservation of species at the Swiss Federal Veterinary Office, and since 2004 he has been one of the scientific experts on the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites). swissinfo.ch: What was the most shocking thing you have had to deal with…

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