Latest news with #KanithaKrishnasamy
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Japan Times
Snakes on a plane highlight Thailand-India wildlife trafficking, NGO reports
Venomous vipers found in checked bags on a flight from Thailand to India illustrate a "very troubling" trend in wildlife trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade, a nongovernmental organization warned Tuesday. Indian customs officials last week arrested an Indian national after finding dozens of snakes and several turtles in their luggage. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as "near-threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The reptiles are among over 7,000 animals, dead and alive, that have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3 and a half years, said Traffic, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants. "The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling," said Traffic's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamor for exotic pets is driving the trade," she added. The group said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, over 80% of interceptions happened in India. More than a third of the wildlife seized is covered by rules banning or strictly regulating their trade across international borders, Traffic added. The group said the "scale and frequency" of the cases suggested more work was needed to investigate "the criminal networks supplying this seemingly endless conveyor belt of wildlife-stuffed bags." They also urged Thailand to work with regional neighbors that have seen similar trafficking routes to India. Thailand is considered a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Vietnam and Taiwan. Last month, Thai police arrested a man suspected of smuggling two baby orangutans into the kingdom for sale.
RTÉ News
20 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Indian smuggler stopped with possums, lizards, tarantulas
Indian customs officers have made the latest "significant" seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a government statement said, carrying nearly 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Customs officers said the passenger, who was also carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had "exhibited signs of nervousness" on arrival at India's financial capital Mumbai. The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. Wildlife seized included iguanas, as well as a kinkajou or honey bear - a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico's rainforests - as well as six "sugar gliders", a gliding possum found in Australia. Photographs released by the customs unit showed the six sugar gliders huddled together in a basket, as well as a box crammed with lizards. "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 said in a statement. Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, has warned of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last three and a half years, it said. Customs officers at Mumbai airport are more used to seizing smuggled gold, cash or cannabis - but instances of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise recently. Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and several turtles from an Indian national flying from Thailand earlier in June. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as "near-threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). TRAFFIC said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, more than 80% of interceptions happened in India. "The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamour for exotic pets is driving the trade", she added. In February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, authorities found a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles.
Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
Vipers, turtles found in luggage highlights growing Thailand-India wildlife trafficking trend, says NGO
BANGKOK, June 10 — Venomous vipers found in checked bags on a flight from Thailand to India illustrate a 'very troubling' trend in wildlife trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade, an NGO warned today. Indian customs officials last week arrested an Indian national after finding dozens of snakes and several turtles in their luggage. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as 'near-threatened' by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. The reptiles are among over 7,000 animals, dead and alive, that have been seized along the Thailand–India air route in the last 3.5 years, said Traffic, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants. 'The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling,' said Traffic's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which 'shows that the clamour for exotic pets is driving the trade', she added. The group said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, over 80 per cent of interceptions happened in India. More than a third of the wildlife seized is covered by rules banning or strictly regulating their trade across international borders, Traffic added. The group said the 'scale and frequency' of the cases suggested more work was needed to investigate 'the criminal networks supplying this seemingly endless conveyor belt of wildlife-stuffed bags'. They also urged Thailand to work with regional neighbours that have seen similar trafficking routes to India. Thailand is considered a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly-prised endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Vietnam and Taiwan. Last month, Thai police arrested a man suspected of smuggling two baby orangutans into the kingdom for sale. — AFP
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Smuggler stopped with lizards, tarantulas, possums, authorities say
Indian customs officers made the latest "significant" seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a government statement said: nearly 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Customs officers said the passenger, who was also carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had "exhibited signs of nervousness" on arrival at India's financial capital Mumbai. The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. They included 44 Indonesian pit vipers and were "concealed in checked-in baggage," Mumbai Customs said in a statement. The wildlife in the latest seizure included iguanas, as well as a kinkajou or honey bear -- a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico's rainforests -- along with six "sugar gliders" — a gliding possum found in Australia. Photographs released by the customs unit showed the six sugar gliders huddled together in a basket, as well as a box crammed with lizards. "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 said in a statement late Monday. Disturbing smuggling trend Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, on Tuesday warned of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3-and-a-half years, it said. Customs officers at Mumbai airport are more used to seizing smuggled gold, cash or cannabis -- but instances of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise recently. Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and several turtles from an Indian national flying from Thailand earlier in June. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classified as "near-threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). TRAFFIC said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, more than 80 percent of interceptions happened in India. "The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamor for exotic pets is driving the trade," she added. In February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, authorities found a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles. Australian reporter covering Los Angeles protests shot with rubber bullet by police officer Kristi Noem says "we are not going to let a repeat of 2020 happen" amid L.A. crackdown LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Man Detained For Smuggling 100 Endangered Species From Thailand
Indian customs officers made the latest "significant" seizure of endangered wildlife from a passenger arriving from Thailand, a government statement said, carrying nearly 100 creatures including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Customs officers said the passenger, who was also carrying two tarantula spiders and tortoises, had "exhibited signs of nervousness" on arrival at India's financial capital Mumbai. The seizure comes after a passenger was stopped smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand, earlier in June. Wildlife seized included iguanas, as well as a kinkajou or honey bear -- a small raccoon-like animal from Mexico's rainforests -- as well as six "sugar gliders", a gliding possum found in Australia. Mumbai Customs intercepted an Indian passenger from Bangkok, carrying exotic wildlife including iguanas, tarantulas, tortoises, sunbirds, and a honey bear many protected under CITES and India's Wildlife Protection Act. The seizure was made at CSMI Airport, and the accused was… — IANS (@ians_india) June 9, 2025 Photographs released by the customs unit showed the six sugar gliders huddled together in a basket, as well as a box crammed with lizards. "In a significant operation, customs officers... intercepted an Indian national... leading to the seizure of multiple live and dead wildlife species, some of which are protected under wildlife protection laws", the Ministry of Finance said in a statement late Monday. Wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, on Tuesday warned of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last 3.5 years, it said. Customs officers at Mumbai airport are more used to seizing smuggled gold, cash or cannabis -- but instances of wildlife seizure have seen a gradual rise recently. Customs officers seized dozens of snakes and several turtles from an Indian national flying from Thailand earlier in June. Among them were several spider-tailed horned vipers, a venomous species only described by scientists in 2006 and classed as "near-threatened" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). TRAFFIC said its analysis showed that while most cases involve animals smuggled out of Thailand, more than 80 percent of interceptions happened in India. "The almost-weekly discoveries and diversity of wildlife en route to India is very troubling," said TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia director Kanitha Krishnasamy. Many of those captured were alive, which "shows that the clamour for exotic pets is driving the trade", she added. In February, customs officials at Mumbai airport also stopped a smuggler with five Siamang gibbons, a small ape native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Those small creatures, listed as endangered by the IUCN, were "ingeniously concealed" in a plastic crate placed inside the passenger's trolley bag, customs officers said. In November, authorities found a passenger carrying a wriggling live cargo of 12 turtles.
