What happened at the Gandria crossing?

On Thursday, September 10, agents from the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (FOCS) intercepted a Swiss citizen in a car with Confederate license plates. Two ash parrots were found inside the vehicle, transported without the CITES authorisation necessary for the import of protected species.

What authorities have intervened and what measures have been taken?

The operation was carried out by the UDSC agents with the subsequent immediate blocking of the birds at the disposal of the Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine (USAV). Given the absence of the required documentation, the two animals were seized with the absolute prohibition for the owner to dispose of them.

What did the bird owner say?

The owner reported that he had purchased the ash parrots directly from a private breeder, who would not have given him any CITES certificate at the time of the sale. The authorities recalled that the current legislation does not allow exceptions based on good faith or non-delivery of documents by the seller.

Seizure of protected parrots at the Gandria crossing (cross-border guide)

Di Redazione Frontaliere Ticino · Published on 18 September 2026

Customs controls at the Gandria border crossing in Ticino

A Swiss citizen was stopped at the Gandria crossing with two ash parrots without Cites authorization. Intervention by UDSC and USAV.

Context

In brief

Swiss citizen stopped at the Gandria border crossing
Transporting two African grey parrots in the car
The animals belong to a protected species
Cites import authorization was missing

Key facts

Date: Thursday, September 10
Location: Gandria border crossing
Authorities: FOCBS and FSVO officers
Species: African grey parrots (Appendix I)
Vehicle: Car with Swiss license plates

Officers of the Federal Office for Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) recently intercepted and seized two birds during a routine check at a border crossing. The incident took place on Thursday, September 10, when a Swiss citizen was stopped at the Gandria border crossing while traveling in a car with Swiss license plates. Inside the vehicle, customs officers discovered the presence of two African grey parrots. The driver was in no way in possession of the authorization required by law to import protected specimens. The timely intervention of the border authorities made it possible to block the illegal transport of these particular exotic animals, which fall fully into categories protected at the international level.

…

Operational details

The owner's statements and the origins of the birds

During the checks carried out at the Gandria border crossing, the owner of the two African grey parrots provided his version of the facts to the intervening customs officers. The man stated that he had purchased the birds directly from a private breeder. According to what was reported by the Swiss motorist himself, the seller did not provide him with any Cites certificate at the time of the transfer of the animals. This lack of primary documentation immediately triggered in-depth checks by the FOCBS, as current legislation does not allow exceptions based on the buyer's good faith or the failure to deliver documents by the private seller.

The species' protection level

The owner's situation worsened further due to the particular zoological classification of the transported birds. The African grey parrots in question actually belong to a species listed in Appendix I of protection of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). This is the highest level of protection provided by the international convention, reserved exclusively for species that are concretely at risk of extinction and whose international trade or transit is strictly regulated and restricted to exceptional and rigorously authorized cases. The total absence of the Cites attestation associated with such a high level of protection explains the firmness with which the FOCBS and the FSVO proceeded with the immediate seizure of the parrots at the border crossing.

Recommended tools

For an updated estimate, use the net salary calculator and the CHF-EUR exchange comparator.

Key points

Procedures for the transit of protected animals

Anyone who needs to transport animals or specimens of protected species across borders must comply with a series of very specific formal procedures established by international conventions and adopted by the federal authorities. Before planning any movement involving customs clearance, it is essential to check the status of the species by consulting the official Cites lists. For animals falling under Annex I, such as the African grey parrots involved in the check at Gandria, it is mandatory to obtain in advance the import and export permits issued by the competent offices. Purchasing from private breeders in no way exempts the buyer from the burden of demanding and verifying the presence of all original documentation before traveling in their own vehicle.

Tools for customs verification and in-depth analysis

To avoid administrative or criminal penalties and the consequent seizure of the animals, it is necessary to regularly consult the directives published by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (OSAV) and the FOCBS regarding tourist and commercial traffic of goods and protected species. Travelers and commuters who regularly cross customs checkpoints must pay the utmost attention to regulations on the protection of fauna and flora. To learn more about the rules and tariffs applied to the transit of goods and commodities, you can consult our official calculator dedicated to tax and customs checks.

Source: laregione.ch

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the Gandria crossing?: On Thursday, September 10, agents from the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (FOCS) intercepted a Swiss citizen in a car with Confederate license plates. Two ash parrots were found inside the vehicle, transported without the CITES authorisation necessary for the import of protected species.
What authorities have intervened and what measures have been taken?: The operation was carried out by the UDSC agents with the subsequent immediate blocking of the birds at the disposal of the Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine (USAV). Given the absence of the required documentation, the two animals were seized with the absolute prohibition for the owner to dispose of them.
What did the bird owner say?: The owner reported that he had purchased the ash parrots directly from a private breeder, who would not have given him any CITES certificate at the time of the sale. The authorities recalled that the current legislation does not allow exceptions based on good faith or non-delivery of documents by the seller.