Indian customs officers made the most recent “significant” seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a authorities assertion stated: almost 100 creatures together with lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums.
Customs officers stated the passenger, who was additionally carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had “exhibited signs of nervousness” on arrival at India’s monetary capital Mumbai.
The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, additionally arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. They included 44 Indonesian pit vipers and have been “concealed in checked-in baggage,” Mumbai Customs stated in an announcement.
The wildlife within the newest seizure included iguanas, in addition to a kinkajou or honey bear — a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico’s rainforests — together with six “sugar gliders” — a gliding possum present in Australia.
Images launched by the customs unit confirmed the six sugar gliders huddled collectively in a basket, in addition to a field filled with lizards.
Mumbia (India ) Customs, on X
“In a significant operation, customs officers … intercepted an Indian national … leading to the seizure of multiple live and deceased wildlife species, some of which are protected under wildlife protection laws,” the Ministry of Finance stated in an announcement late Monday.
Disturbing smuggling pattern
Wildlife commerce monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of untamed animals and vegetation, on Tuesday warned of a “very troubling” pattern in trafficking pushed by the unique pet commerce.
Greater than 7,000 animals, lifeless and alive, have been seized alongside the Thailand-India air route within the final 3-and-a-half years, it stated.
Customs officers at Mumbai airport are extra used to seizing smuggled gold, money or hashish — however situations of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise just lately.
Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and a number of other turtles from an Indian nationwide flying from Thailand earlier in June.
Amongst them have been a number of spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species solely described by scientists in 2006 and categorised as “near-threatened” by the Worldwide Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
TRAFFIC stated its evaluation confirmed that whereas most circumstances contain animals smuggled out of Thailand, greater than 80 p.c of interceptions occurred in India.
“The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling,” stated TRAFFIC’s Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy.
Lots of these captured have been alive, which “shows that the clamor for exotic pets is driving the trade,” she added.
In February, customs officers at Mumbai airport additionally stopped a smuggler with 5 Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
These small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, have been “ingeniously concealed” in a plastic crate positioned contained in the passenger’s trolley bag, customs officers stated.
In November, authorities discovered a passenger carrying a wriggling stay cargo of 12 turtles.
