Hyderabad (Telangana): The Chennai International Airport is becoming increasingly infamous for smuggling of banned wildlife animals.
According to customs officials, the Chennai airport has seen numerous incidents of exotic species being exported to or imported from Southeast Asian Countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand in the recent past.
Also read: Snakes, scorpions, lizards can be pet too
For instance, on January 21 the Customs officials have seized several wildlife species, including 2 Marmosets, 3 Red-handed tamarins, 2 tri-coloured squirrels, 2 black and red eastern grey squirrels and 12 Iguanas.
In relation to this, the officials have detained three persons who arrived from Bangkok.
The Officials from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) found these animals in containers.
According to WCCB, the situation is such that the Customs have often seized smuggled wildlife species in Chennai airport.
Timeline for Seizures at Chennai Airport
Feb 2014: Six men were arrested in Chennai for attempting to smuggle another 420 Indian Star Tortoises on a flight to Bangkok.
Oct. 2015: 115 Star tortoises seized from a passenger trying to board a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Dec.2017: Two persons bound for Bangkok were detained for hiding 210 Indian star tortoises.
Oct.2018: A passenger from Bangkok was detained for concealing 2,300 red eared sliders.
Dec 2018: Two passengers who arrived from Bangkok were detained for carrying 4,800 red eared sliders, a semi-aquatic turtle, worth Rs 9.6 lakh.
Jan 2019: A passenger bound for Singapore was detained for attempting to smuggle 14 kg of fins worth Rs 8 lakh.
2 Feb 2019: A passenger from Bangkok was detained for hiding a leopard cub in his baggage.
6 March 2019: A horned pit viper, a poisonous African snake and several other endangered reptiles seized from the passenger from Bangkok.
13 March 2019: 18 kilograms of peacock feathers meant to be smuggled to Malaysia and Singapore.
March 25, 2019: African horn pit viper seized along with two rhinoceros iguanas, three rock iguanas, 22 Egyptian tortoises, four blue-tongued skinks and three green tree frogs.
7 April 2019: 65 Star tortoises seized from a passenger from Bangkok.
10 Oct. 2019: 16 Exotic species of juvenile pythons and lizards were seized from passenger arrived from Kuala Lumpur.
26 Nov 2019: 14 Kg Shark fins worth of 8 lakh seized from Singapore bound Passenger.
10 Dec 2019: 8 Kg processed shark fins worth of 4.5 lakh seized from Passenger which smuggled to Singapore.
22 Dec. 2019: ‘Banner Tailed Kangaroo Rats’, ‘three Prairie Dogs’ , a ‘Red Squirrel’, and five reptile species ‘Blue Iguana Lizard’seized from the passenger arrived from Bangkok.
26 Dec 2019: Dozens of exotic animals including a red squirrel, kangaroo rats, prairie dogs and blue iguanas from the Passenger arrived from Bangkok.
21 Jan. 2020: Two marmosets, three red-handed tamarins, two Prevost’s squirrels, two black and red eastern grey squirrels and 12 Iguanas were seized from 3 passengers arrived from Bangkok.
However, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, bans passengers from carrying such species, WCCB officials said.
What the Wildlife Protection Act is:
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, bans passengers from carrying such species. according to the Act, not all species that come in are seized.
They are sometimes sent back to the country of origin.
If the animal is not listed either under CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) or under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, then they are not allowed to be imported. They are not given Customs clearance into India.
They are seized under the Customs Act, 1962, read with the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and thereafter re-exported to the country of origin.
Even though there are such powerful Acts are present, still, the number of smuggling through Chennai airport has hardly been prevented.
Demand For Start Tortoises :
In 31st January 2014, Thai Customs and wildlife checkpoint officers at Don Mueang International Airport seized 521 tortoises from five unclaimed bags on board a flight from Chennai, India.
Among the tortoises were 440 of the often-smuggled Indian Star Tortoises Geochelone elegans, as well as 65 Indian Black Pond Turtles Geoclemys hamiltonii.
Indian Star Tortoises continue to be smuggled in high volumes for the exotic pet industry, despite being afforded legal protection across the species' range countries of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
All three countries have banned all international commercial export of the species under national legislation.
TRAFFIC India, a wildlife trade monitoring network, released a study which revealed that at least 5,772 pangolins were captured in the country between 2009 and 2017 for illegal trade.
The Indian star tortoise, for instance, has become the most trafficked tortoise worldwide because of its high demand as a pet.
It fetches upwards of Rs25,000 ($358) when smuggled out and sold in the international market.
Also read: Wayanad's honey hunters set for record collection
Likewise, the smuggling of the tokay gecko lizard has been on the rise ever since false rumours of it being a cure for AIDS.
Meanwhile, the smuggling of wildlife animals is increasing in number. They have been smuggled for different purposes. Most of the smuggled animals belong from the endangered species and the happenings at the Chennai airport are eye-openers.
