Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Follow-up on the Bird Heist

The American citizen arrested for stealing bird study skins has been charged.

Detectives investigating the theft of nearly 300 brightly colored stuffed birds from the Natural History Museum in Tring arrested Edwin Rist on Friday.

Police said Monday the 22-year-old has been charged with burglary and money laundering offences.

The bird skins disappeared after reports of a break-in at the museum in June last year.

Richard Lane, director of science at the museum, said the specimens were valuable and included male trogons and quetzals from Central and South America, and birds of paradise from New Guinea.