The story of a cat which was smuggled into Iceland by a Swiss woman, only to be put down by Icelandic authorities on Friday, has generated considerable attention. This is not the first time Icelandic police has to deal with foreign travellers who have smuggled pets into Iceland, and not the first time a cat onboard a RV has been put down. In 2003 police in North Iceland got into a violent altercation with French travellers who tried to stop them from putting down their cat.
A violent altercation with French cat-smugglers
In August 2003 police in North Iceland became aware of the fact that a French couple which had arrived in Iceland on the ferry Norröna was hiding a cat in their RV. Police officers stopped the couple on the Ring Road south of the town of Blönduós. When officers requested permission to search the RV the couple refused, forcing the officers to get a court order to enter the vehicle.
Read more: Police puts down cat which was smuggled to Iceland on-board RV by foreign travellers
The officers found the cat, which was taken to the county veterinarian which then put the cat down. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reported that when the couple, which had been taken to the police station, learned what would happen to their cat, the man became consumed with rage, resulting in a violent altercation with the officers who arrest both the man and his wife. The man suffered a broken rib in the struggle.
According to Morgunblaðið the travellers spent the night in a cell, and after a conversation with the French embassy in Reykjavík they agreed to face the consequences of their actions, including a fine for smuggling a live animal into Iceland.
Many animal diseases, including rabies, unknown in Iceland
Icelandic law has very strict rules governing the import of live animals. It is strictly forbidden to import most farm animals, and pets must be quarantined before they are allowed into the country. Pet owners who wish to bring their pets with them must apply for a permit and fill out extensive paperwork. The law states that animals which are imported in violation of this law must be put down immediately and their carcasses then destroyed.
The reason for the law is that many animal diseases, including rabies, have never been detected in Iceland. Icelandic authorities are therefore extremely vigilant when it comes to the smuggling of live animals. In cases when animals are discovered onboard airplanes they are usually sent back on the next flight, but in cases when animals have already managed to evade customs officials and made it into the country, they are put down without exception.
Swiss woman arrested for smuggling a cat
On Friday Police in South Iceland confiscated and then put down a pet cat which had been smuggled to Iceland. The cat's owner, a Swiss woman, had hidden it onboard her RV during a trip onboard the ferry Norröna which connects Denmark and Iceland. The woman was arrested by police on Saturday evening. She is facing fines for violating the strict laws on the importation of live animals to Iceland, as well as the cost of putting her cat down and the destruction of the body, as well as the cost of sterilizing the RV.
The story of a cat which was smuggled into Iceland by a Swiss woman, only to be put down by Icelandic authorities on Friday, has generated considerable attention. This is not the first time Icelandic police has to deal with foreign travellers who have smuggled pets into Iceland, and not the first time a cat onboard a RV has been put down. In 2003 police in North Iceland got into a violent altercation with French travellers who tried to stop them from putting down their cat.
A violent altercation with French cat-smugglers
In August 2003 police in North Iceland became aware of the fact that a French couple which had arrived in Iceland on the ferry Norröna was hiding a cat in their RV. Police officers stopped the couple on the Ring Road south of the town of Blönduós. When officers requested permission to search the RV the couple refused, forcing the officers to get a court order to enter the vehicle.
Read more: Police puts down cat which was smuggled to Iceland on-board RV by foreign travellers
The officers found the cat, which was taken to the county veterinarian which then put the cat down. The local newspaper Morgunblaðið reported that when the couple, which had been taken to the police station, learned what would happen to their cat, the man became consumed with rage, resulting in a violent altercation with the officers who arrest both the man and his wife. The man suffered a broken rib in the struggle.
According to Morgunblaðið the travellers spent the night in a cell, and after a conversation with the French embassy in Reykjavík they agreed to face the consequences of their actions, including a fine for smuggling a live animal into Iceland.
Many animal diseases, including rabies, unknown in Iceland
Icelandic law has very strict rules governing the import of live animals. It is strictly forbidden to import most farm animals, and pets must be quarantined before they are allowed into the country. Pet owners who wish to bring their pets with them must apply for a permit and fill out extensive paperwork. The law states that animals which are imported in violation of this law must be put down immediately and their carcasses then destroyed.
The reason for the law is that many animal diseases, including rabies, have never been detected in Iceland. Icelandic authorities are therefore extremely vigilant when it comes to the smuggling of live animals. In cases when animals are discovered onboard airplanes they are usually sent back on the next flight, but in cases when animals have already managed to evade customs officials and made it into the country, they are put down without exception.
Swiss woman arrested for smuggling a cat
On Friday Police in South Iceland confiscated and then put down a pet cat which had been smuggled to Iceland. The cat's owner, a Swiss woman, had hidden it onboard her RV during a trip onboard the ferry Norröna which connects Denmark and Iceland. The woman was arrested by police on Saturday evening. She is facing fines for violating the strict laws on the importation of live animals to Iceland, as well as the cost of putting her cat down and the destruction of the body, as well as the cost of sterilizing the RV.
