Counter Wildlife Trafficking Newsletter
May 2022
In Focus
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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 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Air Customs officers seized 11 animals, including an albino porcupine, a tamarin monkey, and leucitic sugar gliders. They were supposedly smuggled from Bangkok and have now been deported to Thailand. In Champhai, Mizoram, police seized an alarming number of exotic wildlife from traffickers. 468 wild animals were rescued, including species of tortoises, lizards, snakes, sloths, beavers, among others.
Links to the media articles/press release:
District Wildlife Crime Control Sub-Unit, Champhai seized and recovered exotic wildlife species | Mizoram Police
Chennai Air Customs seizes 11 animals smuggled from Bangkok; wildlife deported to Thailand | Republic World
Jalpaiguri Wildlife Rescued: বাস থেকে উদ্ধার এক কোটি ১০ লক্ষ টাকা দামের একটি বাঁদর! কেন এত দাম এই বাঁদরের? | TV9
Illegal wildlife trade in May 2022
News scan (1 to 31 May 2022)
Big Cats
‘Poached’ tiger’s skin seized from Keonjhar district of Odisha | The New Indian Express
In a significant seizure, a team of the Keonjhar forest division recovered the skin of a Royal Bengal Tiger (RBT) and arrested one person from the Harichandanpur block of the district. The skin, 7 feet in length, belonged to an eight-year-old big cat killed in the Rebana reserve forest of Anandapur Wildlife Division. It is one of the first cases of tiger hunting admitted by the Forest Department in many years.
Read more
More on big cats
Leopard-Skin Seized In Rayagada, one Arrested | Kalinga TV
Leopard's decomposed carcass found in tea estate | Telegraph India
Leopard found dead in TN | Republic World
Birds
बीएसएफ ने सीमा पर वन्य जीवों की तस्करी को नाकाम कर 11 तोते के साथ तस्कर को पकड़ा | Jagran
Read more
Elephant
Six Elephant Tusks Seized; One Arrested | Ahmedabad Mirror
Six elephant tusks weighing nine kg were seized, and one person was arrested in this connection from Odisha's Balangir district.
Read more
More on elephants
Female elephant electrocuted in TN | The Print
Marine
2 Arrested For Keeping Live Corals In Fish Tanks | Times of India
Two aquarium hobbyists from New Town and Kasba were arrested by forest officials and are in jail for a week for decorating their fish tanks with live corals, a marine species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and banned for home possession by the Indian government.
Read more
More on Marine
Sodepur Crime: নিয়ন আলো, বাহারি মাছ, সোদপুরে সেই অ্যাকোয়ারিয়ামের দোকানের ভিতরেই চলত রঙিন ব্যবসা | TV9
Pangolin
2 kg pangolin scales seized | Orissa Post
Forest officials and police jointly conducted raids in Balimela and seized around 2 kg of pangolin scales. Two people involved in the smuggling of the wildlife parts were also arrested.
Read more
More on pangolins
Pangolin seized; 1 held in Kalahandi | The Pioneer
STF seizes 6 kg pangolin scales, nabs a person | Prameya News
WCCB, forest teams seize pangolin scales at Boko; 2 held | The Shillong Times
ಚಿಪ್ಪು ಹಂದಿಗಳ ಮಾರಾಟಕ್ಕೆ ಯತ್ನ ನಾಲ್ವರ ಬಂಧನ | PublicTV
Red sandalwood
Red sanders seized near Hyderabad; two held | The New Indian Express
In a significant catch, Rachakonda police seized 1.5 tonnes of red sander logs after arresting two persons from their hideout at Moula Ali. The accused, who have been into the banana business, concealed the red sander logs under bananas and banana leaves during transportation.
Read more
More on red sandalwood
Red sanders seized, 11 arrested | The New Indian Express
Bengaluru unit of DRI seizes red sanders bound for Malaysia | Times of India
Chittoor police seizes red sandalwood logs; seven smugglers held | India Today
20 woodcutters held, 400 kg red sanders seized | The Hans India
కడప జిల్లాలో ఎర్రచందనం డంప్ స్వాధీనం | 10TV
ఐదుగురు స్మగ్లర్లు అరెస్ట్-22 ఎర్ర చందనం దుంగలు స్వాధీనం | 10TV
DRI seizes Red Sanders worth Rs. 11.70 crore under “Operation Rakth Chandan” | Ministry of Finance
Red sanders logs seized in Chittoor, 15 arrested | Times of India
Red sanders seized in Chittoor; two from TN held | The Hindu
Reptiles
Two poachers arrested for hunting Bengal monitor lizard | Times of India
The Satara Forest Department has arrested two poachers from Kumthe village for hunting a Bengal monitor lizard, which they were carrying home for consumption.
Read more
More on reptiles
Youths kill a snake, posts WhatsApp status, arrested by Forest Officers | Times Now
Rhino
Rhino in Orang National Park Left Bleeding After Poaching Attempt
A semi-adult male rhinoceros in the Orang National Park has been injured after an alleged poaching attempt. The bleeding rhino, moving around the marshland of the national park, was spotted by the elephant patrol team on May 9 without its horn.
Read more
Timber
Four timber smugglers held in Dihing Patkai | News18
Cracking down on illegal timber smuggling, the forest department captured four timber smugglers from inside the Dihing Patkai National Park in the Dibrugarh district.
Read more
Tortoise and freshwater turtles
Rare species of turtles seized, two arrested | The Telegraph
The state wildlife department seized around 450 Indian softshell turtles from Swarupnagar in North 24-Parganas. The endangered turtle species is generally found in the lower middle stretch of the Ganga and its tributaries connected through Bangladesh. The turtles were seized after they had been smuggled in from Bangladesh and were sent to the Swarupnagar market.
Read more
More on tortoise and freshwater turtle
कछुआ के प्रतिबंधित खाल के साथ तीन गिरफ्तार | Jagran
Ungulates
Eight poachers who hunted two deer captured, hunting rifles seized | Telangana Today
Poachers who hunted two deer in forest areas of Kamareddy district were nabbed by the police in operation, according to the reports. Kamareddy district police captured eight persons accused of hunting two deers and seized the deer carcasses, a rifle mounted with a telescope, three live rounds and two cars.
Read more
More on ungulates
Forest Officials Nab Poachers From Similipal National Park | Pragativadi
Four Poachers On Hunt For Deer Arrested From Damoh, Seoni | Times of India
Four Arrested For Poaching Spotted Deer In Mahasamund | Outlook India
Three arrested for hunting barking deer | Times of India
बारहसिंगा के मिले सिंग, दिल्ली से लाए थे पिस्टल, दो बदमाश गिरफ्तार | Patrika
5 Poachers Held From Malkapur Forest Range In Kolhapur | Times of India
Other
No fullstop to poaching, illegal trade | Bangalore Mirror
Two sloth bears rescued from Bokaro after Maneka Gandhi's intervention | The Indian Express
पेंच राष्ट्रीय उद्यान के अमले ने पेंगोलिन के शल्क के साथ तीन आरोपितों को पकड़ा | Nai Dunia
भालू की पित्त के साथ एक तस्कर गिरफ्तार, केस दर्ज कर पूछताछ में जुटी टीम | Jagran
Infographics:
Exotic Wildlife Seizures in India: May 2022 by Radha Pennathur
Illegal Wildlife Trade in May 2022 by the CWT team
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