You should not transport the bear skin before having sold it: customs officers seized the skin of a bear near Besançon aboard a van registered in Lithuania, imposing a fine on the driver for transporting goods prohibited.
The fur was seized on Tuesday on the A36 motorway near Besançon, Yasmina Pomathios, head of the economic action center at the regional customs directorate, told AFP on Thursday, confirming information from L'Est République.
During a check, customs officers discovered the skin of the animal, approximately two meters long, transported in a box with additional packaging intended to protect the head.
The driver explained to customs officials that he was moving belongings between Germany and Spain but the presence of a single box on board prompted them to check its contents.
The bear is a protected species
“The driver did not really explain the reasons for the transport,” said Ms. Pomathios, without being able to specify the exact origin of the plantigrade or the circumstances or date of its death.
The bear being a protected species, its possession, alive or dead, is prohibited by unauthorized persons.
“The offense noted is that of illegal transport of prohibited goods.
This offense is constituted when the holder is not able to justify being authorized to hold the goods in question,” specified the customs official.