Newsroom

Wildlife Trade News

(March 12, 2024) The following content is collected from public information and does not represent the views of WCS-India.  Important Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) news from India: 1. Forest departments from the states of Chhattisgarh and Odisha conducted a seizure of 2.7 kg pangolin scales and one live pangolin at Nagalbod village, along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha state border, near the Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve. Three poachers were arrested; Link 2. Odisha Forest Department seized 132 parakee...

READ THE STORY

(February 07, 2023) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter November - December 2022 In Focus 13 seizure incidents involving illegal trade in exotic wildlife were reported from India between November and December 2022. Recovered animals included non-native and exotic primates such as the white-lipped Tamarin and Panamanian white-faced Capuchin, snakes such as the Kenyan sand boa and corn snake, reptiles such as iguanas and tegu lizards, tarantulas, and parrots. Access the media reports here: B...

READ THE STORY

(November 28, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter October 2022 In Focus Four seizure incidents involving illegal trade in exotic wildlife were reported from India in October 2022 - From Assam, Maharashtra, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu. Notably, recovered animals included non-native felines, primates, and marsupials. Other recovered species include non-native birds and reptiles, such as snakes, tortoises and turtles. Access the media reports here: Mizoram: 140 Exotic Birds And Animals Res...

READ THE STORY

(October 27, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter September 2022 In Focus Three seizure incidents involving illegal trade of exotic wildlife species were reported from India in September, last month. Notably, the recovered species include primates such as orangutans, spider monkeys, lemurs among others. Other recovered species include, wallabies, and several other exotic species of tortoises, turtles and birds. Access the media reports here: Two baby orangutans, suspected to be smugg...

READ THE STORY

(September 30, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter August 2022 In Focus Multiple seizures involving illegal trade of exotic wildlife species were reported in August. The cases were reported from Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, and Tripura. Seized wildlife includes exotic species of primates, hornbills, and reptiles, among others. Read full media reports on these seizures here: Passenger from Bangkok caught with live animals, including monkey & snakes at Chennai Airport; arrested...

READ THE STORY

(August 18, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter July 2022 In Focus Read more about these seizures in the News Scan section below.    ‘Wildlife Evidence Collection Kits’ gifted in support to the Telangana Forest Department On the occasion of International Tiger Day (29 July 2022), as part of the existing collaboration between Wildlife Conservation Society- India and Telangana Forest Department, we provided ‘Wildlife Evidence Collection K...

READ THE STORY

(July 14, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter June 2022 In Focus CITES is an international agreement between sovereign states aimed at ensuring that the international trade in specimens of wild plants and animals does not threaten their survival.  The parties to the convention will decide through voting on the amendments to Appendices I and II at the Conference of Parties held once every two to three years. For the next COP meeting, COP19 which will be held in Panama City in N...

READ THE STORY

(June 27, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter May 2022   In Focus India continues to be a significant transit and destination country for illegal trade in exotic wildlife species. Here is a list of media-reported exotic wildlife seizures from May 2022: Customs officials recovered four endangered exotic primate species from a bus in Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. Species recovered were a east javan langur, a red-shanked douc, and two monkeys belonging to Cercopithecus genus. In ...

READ THE STORY

(May 19, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter April 2022 Wildlife trade trivia   Illegal wildlife trade in April 2022   News scan (1 to 30 April 2022)   Big cats 3 leopard skins recovered from house, man arrested | The Tribune A man, Sanjeev Kumar, resident of Prem Vihar on Tibba Road, Ludhiana, has been arrested for allegedly smuggling leopard skins. Read more More on big cats Berhampur: Record haul of illegal wild...

READ THE STORY

(April 12, 2022) Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter March 2022   Wildlife Trade Trivia     Illegal Wildlife Trade in March 2022        In Focus   Hunting may have increased during the COVID lockdown We may have hunted more wildlife during the pandemic-induced lockdowns of 2020, according to a survey. Hunting for household consumption increased during this time; sports and recreation were motivators for hunting as we...

READ THE STORY