Wildlife Crime Case Study

In May 2012 the Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow Airport notified officers from Border Force about two commercial consignments of hybrid Bengal and Serval cats that had been stopped on their way into the UK. Border Force conducted an examination along with City of London Corporation Animal Health inspectors. Export permits were present but no import permits were obtained, leading to the seizure of all five cats. The value of the shipment was estimated at thousands of pounds due to their intended use as breeding stock. The cats were later re-homed at a suitable location in the UK.