On 27th August, WCS-India conducted a web-workshop on ‘Countering Wildlife Trafficking’ for newly recruited officers of National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes & Narcotics (NACIN)-Shillong. The web-workshop saw participation from 30 Customs Officers. Topics covered included Introduction to Wildlife Trafficking and the Role of Customs Department, Identification of Species (Native and Exotic) and Powers and Procedures under the Custom Act. These modules were delivered by resource persons Dr. Saket Badola, Head, TRAFFIC, India, Mr. Anirban Chaudhuri, Project Coordinator, WCS-India and Mr. Avinash Basker, Legal Head, WPSI.
A session on Identification of Native and Exotic Wildlife was conducted by Mr. Anirban Chaudhuri, Project Coordinator, CWT.
Trainees were given useful field tips on identifying real elephant ivory from fake ones.
Dr. Saket Badola, Head, TRAFFIC India, conducted the introductory session wherein he touched upon the myriad species in trade, case studies and introduction to CITES.