PESHAWAR: Customs officials on Monday seized 10 rare species of eagles and handed them over to the wildlife department here.

According to the collector customs Qurban Ali Khan, the eagles were of Afghan origin which had been recovered from a Karachi-bound bus during checking near Kohat Tunnel.

He said that none of the passengers claimed ownership of the eagles. However, the bus driver and conductors were under custody for further interrogation.

The eagles, he said were brought from Afghanistan and transported via Peshawar to Karachi for onward smuggling to abroad. He said that customs department handed them over to the wildlife department so that to take proper care of the rare birds.

The eagles were handed over at a function in customs department, Peshawar. Additional collector Aftab Haider and other officials were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2015