'All hatched': Eggs of endangered parrot seized at Guangzhou customs under good care

All 82 parrot eggs of a species belonging to Amazona have hatched and are under good care, after they were seized by customs in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province.

Customs staff at Baiyun International Airport identified an item of suspicious luggage through earlier inspection, and intercepted the passenger who carried the luggage at the "nothing-to-declare" channel, media reported Tuesday.  

Onsite checks discovered a nest of eggs that were packaged by cotton. Biological activity was detected in these eggs under light. 

The customs official confiscated the eggs and then contacted professional animal protection organizations, and under their care, the eggs have all hatched.

The birds were identified to be a parrot species under Amazona, which is listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and a national second-level protected wild animals.

Without a certificate and processing through mandatory customs procedures, people who trade, carry or mail endangered species and related products, such as ivory, in and out of China would face criminal charges, according to the CITES and China's Law on the Protection of Wildlife.