Irish tourists have been warned that they could face prosecution if they bring home ivory chess pieces, or jewellery made from coral or sea turtle shells.
Duchas the Irish Heritage Service urged tourists yesterday to be aware that importing some protected flora and fauna is prohibited under international agreements. Among these are certain sea-shells and orchids, as well as more obvious creatures like monkeys, turtles, snakes, macaws and parrots.
Dr Linda Patton, wildlife ranger for Dublin, pointed out that trade in certain animal derivatives like tiger bone extract and bear bile, used in traditional Chinese medicine, was also banned.
She was drawing attention to the Duchas display unit in the departures area of Dublin Airport, which contains examples of prohibited animals, reptiles and shells confiscated from travellers in Britain and Ireland. An information leaflet is also available.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora lists over 800 species which are banned from international trade, and over 20,000 others are controlled. The EU implemented the convention in 1997.
Also at the airport were two botanists from the National Botanic Gardens, who had been collecting rare orchids in Belize - under a licence.
Mr Brendan Sayers and Ms Noeleen Smyth returned with 21 new orchid species - two not recorded before in Belize and 17 considered rare. The collection of the flowers in the wild was carried out jointly with a team from the Botanical Gardens of Belize.