BERLIN, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Police in Germany have stopped what is believed to be the country's biggest ever illegal transport of animals, German media reported on Monday.
Police found more than 7,000 animals, including exotic species such as Chameleons and Axolotl, when they inspected a truck with a Czech license plate in a highway parking bay.
The animals were cramped into tiny boxes which lacked food and water and were not climate-controlled. As a consequence, a large number of animals were already dead when they were discovered by police.
The radio station "Bayrischer Rundfunk" claimed that the truck was on the way to Belgium. Experts described the incident as the largest ever illegal animal transport halted in Germany.
The German Animal Protection League (Deutscher Tierschutzbund) has announced its intention to distribute the surviving animals amongst animal shelters in Bavaria, Hesse and Baden-Wuerttemberg.
The 26-year-old Czech truck driver was released again by authorities after posting bail of 500 euros. The German Veterinary Inspection Office and State Prosecutors have both launched investigations into the case.
