A Bahrain-bound boat with billions of dollars worth of rare and endangered birds has been detained by the Iranian Navy, according to reports.

The boat from Pakistan was carrying 142 falcons and 240 Asian Houbara Bustards, which are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

“All these birds had been poached from the wild and were being transported without any legal documents,” read a report in Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune.

“The boat, according to a source, had started its journey from Pakistan and was bound for Bahrain.

“The offenders are currently under trial and are being dealt with according to Iranian law as they had no legal documents to transport the protected birds.”

Authorities from Bahrain and Pakistan could not be reached for comment by the GDN. - TradeArabia News Service