South African police have arrested two Thai nationals in separate incidents after authorities discovered bird eggs they say were being smuggled out of the country.
On 20 August a 50-year-old Thai man was detained at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg after officials found 50 bird eggs packed inside a homemade incubator in a hand-luggage bag, the country’s environment ministry said in a statement. The ministry described the eggs as belonging to endangered parrots.
A second Thai national was arrested in a separate incident, the statement said; officials did not immediately provide further details about that case. Both arrests, the ministry added, form part of intensified checks aimed at disrupting wildlife trafficking networks.
Authorities said the discovery of eggs inside an improvised incubator suggested attempts to preserve and conceal live specimens for illicit transport. South Africa’s environment ministry said investigations into the two cases are ongoing and did not give information on whether any charges had yet been laid.
Wildlife trafficking remains a focus for law enforcement and conservation authorities in the region, who say such activity threatens vulnerable species and often involves sophisticated concealment methods. Airport and customs officials have stepped up screening efforts in recent months as part of broader measures to protect endangered fauna.