Highlights

• The consignment containing the animals weighed 1.5 tonnes. The corals were brought over from Indonesia. 
• Coral reefs are disappearing due to climate change and illegal trade; as the reefs disappear, so does biodiversity. 
• The animals were rescued as part of a cooperation between KAS and experts from the Central Animal Shelter and the Orientarium in Łódź. 
• The Central Animal Shelter has been established to support the authorities in enforcing nature conservation regulations, including the Washington Convention, which regulates the trade in animals and plants worldwide. 
• The Central Animal Shelter is currently carrying out its tasks through a redistribution mechanism. It is currently in the design phase, and will then be built near Warsaw. 

The provisions of the Washington Convention (CITES) regulate trade in endangered plant and animal species. They apply both to living specimens, such as living coral reefs, and to dead fragments of reefs, which may not be transported across borders. The aim is to eliminate the breeding and sale of illegally obtained plants and animals, as well as to regulate trade in plant and animal parts, such as ivory or tiger skins. 

Officers from the Mazovian Customs and Tax Office in Warsaw (Mazowiecki Urząd Celno-Skarbowy, MUCS) at the Warsaw-Okęcie border crossing, in the First Goods Customs Branch in Warsaw, received information about the transport of marine invertebrates from Indonesia. 
The consignment, weighing 1,460 kg, contained over 1,000 live corals, including protected reef-building corals, known as hard corals. 

A check of the documentation accompanying the consignment revealed irregularities. 

An immediate decision 

Due to the long transport time from Indonesia to Poland, a welfare assessment of the corals was carried out in the presence of the Border Veterinary Officer. The examination of the animals revealed that they were alive but required urgent intervention. 

Hypoxia caused by the prolonged transport, lack of access to light, and changes in the temperature and pH of the water in which they were transported posed a threat to the animals’ lives, so time was crucial. 

Officers notified the Central Animal Shelter about the situation. On the same day, the corals were taken to the Orientarium in Łódź, one of the most modern aquarium facilities in Europe. They were placed in specialised quarantine tanks, where experts began the process of stabilising and rehabilitating them. 

Corals under care 

An initial inventory and acclimatisation carried out by specialists from the Orientarium in Łódź revealed that the shipment comprised a total of over 500 reef-building corals belonging to nearly 30 genera, as well as nearly 500 soft corals. 

Thanks to the swift action of the emergency services, most of the animals were rescued and are now recovering in conditions that mirror their natural habitat. 

Irregularities in the documentation 

A verification of the facts revealed significant discrepancies with the documents. More than 300 reef-building corals were not covered by permits. The case is being investigated by the Mazovian Customs and Tax Office in Warsaw (MUCS). 

All species of reef-building corals are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Trading in them without the necessary licences and certificates is a criminal offence punishable by severe penalties. 

Under Polish law, smuggling them is punishable by imprisonment for a term of between 3 months and up to 5 years. The illegal trade in endangered species is one of the most lucrative criminal activities in the world, contributing to the irreversible degradation of marine ecosystems.