Customs officers made this funny discovery on Tuesday, June 7.
On Tuesday, June 7, customs officers from the Pyrénées-Orientales carry reinforcement to CRS, on a check in progress at the large Boulou toll barrier, in the Spain-France direction. When the vehicle is opened, the police are surprised to find four live alligators.
The two occupants, of German nationality, confirm transporting alligators from Mississippi, animals that can measure up to 4.5 meters, and weigh up to 500 kg. An agent from the French Biodiversity Office is dispatched to the site to assess the reptiles: he confirms their species, but above all that their transport and detention are very strictly regulated. Lamerican alligators experienced a decline in numbers throughout the 20e century and their population has rebegins to grow only from the 1960s thanks to protection programs.
The two Germans had no valid proof allowing them to convey this type of goods and were handed over to the gendarmes of Pollestres. The four alligators were seized. The following day, June 8, the reptiles were entrusted to la Crocodile Farm located in Pierrelatte in the Drôme, alive and in good health.