BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Smuggled coral seized by customs

 

Customs officers at Manchester Airport have seized the largest illegal shipment of live coral detected coming into the UK.

The banned or unlicensed corals, worth £50,000, were spotted in air freight from Indonesia.

A spokesman said the smuggled creatures were destined for specialist shops across the UK.

Traders in Manchester, Cheshire, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Scotland have since been warned about illegal sales.

The coral has been transported to London Zoo, where tanks large enough to cope with them are available.

Rare species

Brian Zimmerman, head keeper of the zoo's aquarium, said the majority of the corals survived the trip from the Asia.

He said: "It is disheartening to see so many protected species being smuggled into the UK.

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