A Vancouver resident has been fined for trying to smuggle a suitcase full of songbirds into the city from China, violating a ban on all pet bird imports from that country, where avian flu is considered endemic.
Kwok Sing Lee, 67, was ordered to pay $7,500 Thursday after pleading guilty in Richmond Provincial Court to two offences under the Health of Animals Act.
On April 13, Lee was returning to Canada through the Vancouver International Airport on a flight from Guangzhou in southern China. A border dog named Lady, trained to detect agricultural goods, sniffed out his carry-on suitcase at the baggage carousel area after he had presented customs officers with his completed declaration card, on which he indicated he did not have birds.
Officers from the Canada Border Services Agency then opened the bag and discovered wooden crates containing 29 birds. Eight were dead, having perished en route.
Lee later told the officers he had purchased the birds from a market in China and stowed them in the overhead compartment. He confirmed the birds had not been inspected.
Lee was carrying three species: the melodious laughing thrush, the redbilled leiothrix and the Oriental magpie-robin.
"I can't speculate on [why he brought them], but the bottom line for us is to know the rules and regulations before you come in," said CBSA spokeswoman Stefanie Wudel. "There are some risks to bringing some plant and animal products in ... and you have to declare them on your arrival."
Pet birds from most countries are allowed entry into Canada by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. But imports are banned from some countries where avian influenza is considered endemic, including China, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Egypt.
Avian influenza is a contagious viral infection that can affect all species of birds as well as humans. While rare, transmission of the virus from bird to human can occur, according to a 2006 publication by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
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