A Dutch man was caught by customs officers when he tried to smuggle more than 10 live hummingbirds hidden in his underwear. The hummingbirds were wrapped up and hidden in the man's underwear but were still alive. According to a report on September 28th from China News, smugglers' methods for sneaking animals through customs are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Recently, a Dutch tourist was caught trying to smuggle more than 10 live hummingbirds hidden in a specially made underwear at Cayenne Airport in French Guiana.
The Dutch man had individually wrapped the live hummingbirds in cloth to prevent them from flapping their wings and escaping, then hid each bird in special pouches sewn into his underwear. Customs officers noticed the man acting suspiciously and asked him to remove his underwear during an inspection, where they discovered about 12 live hummingbirds. Subsequently, the authorities detained him.
Reports indicate that the man did not use anesthesia on the birds while hiding them. It is also known that the man has a criminal record and had previously been convicted for attempting to smuggle hummingbirds.
Additionally, it is noted that hummingbirds are the smallest known birds in the world and can hover in the air by rapidly beating their wings between 15 to 80 times per second, depending on the size of the bird.