Ten Flamingos Rescued from Smugglers at Tunisia-Algeria Border

Tunisian officials rescued 10 flamingos near the border with Algeria from smugglers attempting to take the birds out of the country, Tunisia’s customs body reported Monday.

The greater flamingos were found in distress in the back of a lorry truck on Sunday in Jendouba, a town in northwestern Tunisia. The birds’ wings, legs, and torsos were tightly wrapped and they were jammed into crates stashed in the back of the truck, making movement impossible. Tunisian officials posted the gruesome scene online.

The lorry had a Tunisian registration plate, officials announced. They also added that all 10 of the flamingos have since been released back into their natural habitat, safe and sound.

Flamingos enjoy protection from hunting and smuggling under Tunisian law, but the consequences for the perpetrators caught in this instance are currently unclear.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) website, greater flamingos are categorized as “least concern” in their global stability assessment, as of the last update in 2019. Roughly 500,000 greater flamingos are thought to be living in the wild.

However, climate change has continued to impact the North Africa region in the time since, with deviating rainfalls impacting water levels and even drying up some bodies of water that the species relies on for feeding and mating. Last year, volunteers saved almost 300 flamingos in Algeria that had been stranded at the fast-evaporated Lake Tinsilt.

Poaching is another threat to flamingo life in the area. Smuggled flamingos can be sold to buyers looking to populate their own private zoos or gardens, who treat their purchases with varying levels of hospitality. It can be a lucrative business for the smugglers. Not every country in the Middle East and North Africa have strict or definitive laws protecting flamingos, though Tunisia does. The smugglers’ intentions with the greater flamingos freed this week have not been reported.

Greater flamingos cover the widest span of earth of any flamingo species. They have been known to set up shop on the European, African, and Asian parts along the Mediterranean Sea, as well as across the Middle East, West Africa, East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and more. Their migration paths often lead many of them to cross through places like Tunisia and Algeria on their way to warmer climates.

Tunisia can be a great place to spot a flamingo. Djerba island, located off of the country’s southeastern coast, is notorious for its greater flamingo sightings, as is Korba Lagoon, situated a bit north of the island.