France: Frozen porcupines, gazelles seized in raid

Paris: Paris police who raided an “exotic food store” this week came away with five frozen porcupines, 15 gazelles, 20 bats and an array of caterpillars — all illegally imported from Africa.

In total, police retrieved 90kg of bush meat stored in three freezers in the unnamed shop in a run-down part of Paris’s 18th arrondissement. The owner is due to be questioned.

A source close to the inquiry told Le Parisien: “This meat came with absolutely no hygiene guarantees, and is thus unfit for consumption.”

It was not immediately clear whether food authorities would have given the food the all-clear had it been sent through official channels.

“Without knowing the specific species concerned of porcupine, gazelle or bat it is difficult to say whether or not they would be granted an import licence,” said Mark Powell of the UK management body of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species. “But it is highly possible that they would be from animals on the endangered species list therefore it would be illegal to import or sell them.”

Investigators have ascertained that all the forbidden food was imported from the Central African Republic, where France has recently started a military operation to prevent spiralling inter-religious violence. Endangered species were the subject — along with climate change — of trade talks in Paris on Friday between more than 500 African and French business leaders. They were meeting on the sidelines of a summit on peace and security in the presence of President Francois Hollande.