This is the astonishing moment when border guards save three young endangered eagle chicks found hidden in a truck travelling into Russia.

The truck – driving in from Uzbekistan – had been stopped for a routine check at the Russian side of the Ozinki border crossing in Saratov Oblast.

But as they checked the truck’s contents, they were baffled by faint squeaks coming from the toolbox.

And when they opened a cardboard carton inside they were amazed to find three recently hatched Steppe Eagles.

Video footage obtained by Newsflash shows the birds squatting in the box with food and water and bizarrely a fork.

The chicks’ eyes are open but they still have their downy birth feathers which means they should still be kept warm by their parents.

The 26-year-old trucker – whose identity has not been revealed by the Federal Border Guard Service in the statement from 5th June – has been arrested after the discovery.

If found guilty of endangered species trafficking, the driver and any accomplices face up to seven years in jail.

The unharmed but weakened trio were taken to the Khvalynsky National Park in Saratov Oblast where they are being nursed back to health.

The lorry began its journey in the Uzbek city of Uchkurgan.

It was reportedly heading for Ivanovo, a city northeast of Moscow.

Another video clip shows one wildlife carer feeding the young birds of prey before they take their first careful steps around their enclosure.

The habitat of the steppe eagle (Aquila nipalensis) – an endangered species according to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) – stretches across Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China.

Its population has dramatically declined due to wildfires and persecution by humans.