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Endangered animals find refuge astatine airports
Indian customs officers successful Mumbai said they stopped a level rider arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of unrecorded snakes — the 3rd specified seizure this month.
"Customs officers ... foiled yet different wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 unrecorded snakes ... seized from rider returning from Thailand," customs officers said. They said it took spot astatine Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport successful India.
The passenger, who arrived connected Sunday, has been arrested, the customs bureau said successful a statement, with "further probe underway."
The unrecorded snakes included reptiles often sold successful the favored trade, and were mostly non-venomous, oregon with venom excessively anemic to impact people. The bureau posted images connected societal media of the snakes that were discovered.
Customs officers astatine CSMI Airport, Mumbai Customs Zone-III foiled yet different chaotic beingness smuggling attempt, 16 unrecorded snakes-Garter, Rhino Rat, Albino Rat, Kenyan Sand Boa, CA King etc. seized from rider returning from Thailand. Passenger arrested. Further probe underway. pic.twitter.com/4n4o6ZK3U5
— Mumbai Customs-III (@mumbaicus3) June 29, 2025They included garter snakes, a coastal banded California king snake, a rhino rat snake and a Kenyan soil boa, among others.
Customs officers astatine Mumbai airdrome are much utilized to seizing smuggled gold, currency oregon cannabis — but instances of wildlife seizure person seen a gradual emergence recently.
In aboriginal June, customs officers stopped a rider smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, besides arriving from Thailand. Days later, officers stopped different traveler carrying 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums.
In February, customs officials astatine Mumbai airdrome besides stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a tiny ape autochthonal to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Those tiny creatures, listed arsenic endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, were "ingeniously concealed" successful a integrative crate placed wrong the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said.
In November, authorities recovered a rider carrying a wriggling unrecorded cargo of 12 turtles.
"Very troubling" trend
Wildlife commercialized show TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of chaotic animals and plants, has warned of a "very troubling" inclination successful trafficking driven by the exotic favored trade.
More than 7,000 animals, dormant and alive, person been seized on the Thailand-India aerial way successful the past 3.5 years, it said.
TRAFFIC said its investigation showed that portion astir cases impact animals smuggled retired of Thailand, much than 80% of interceptions happened successful India.
"The almost-weekly discoveries and diverseness of wildlife en way to India is precise troubling," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia manager Kanitha Krishnasamy.
Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamor for exotic pets is driving the trade," she added.
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