The traffic police in Huercal Overa are vigilant people. Their latest arrest is of a Spanish man from Denia who had a giraffe in the back of his van.
It turns out that the giraffe was destined for the Tabernas zoo, and was being transported from the Netherlands.
Both zoos say they knew nothing of the unusual -not to say illegal- transport arrangements, and claim to have been duped by the man into awarding him the contract after he presented them with fake documents.
Quite why the Dutch never got suspicious when this bloke rolled up in a transit, I’m not sure.
It was rather unfortunate that he got as far as Huercal Overa before being spotted, and goes to prove that we must have the most vigilant coppers in Europe. I mean, he managed to get through Benelux, France and most of Spain without coming a cropper, then, just 70 km from home – wham.
He´s been charged with moving restricted animals without a permit, unsafe use of a vehicle, and several other nasty charges.
My first thought – that it was Chris Marshall making use of the dog van on his way back home after dropping the pets off in Germany- was proven to be unfounded.
Did the driver have the sunroof open?
Three cheers for Huercal Overa traffic police
This sounds like a tall story.