The following content is compiled from publicly available sources and does not represent the views of WCS-India. Reported species in seizure incidents may differ from actual occurrences due to challenges in verifying species identification, geographical differences, and varying levels of detail in local reporting. Please interpret this information within the newsletter with caution, as it may not always reflect precise or validated identification.
We collected and collated 45 illegal wildlife trade related data-points from various regions across India using open-source information. The highest number of wildlife seizure incidents were reported from Maharashtra (10), Odisha (6), and Assam (4). Some of the reported wildlife species included Pangolin (Indian Pangolin), Big cats (Tiger, Leopard), Elephant (Asian Elephant), Marine (Sea cucumber), Non-native (Siamang, Ball Python), Birds (Alexandrine Parakeet), Tortoise and freshwater turtle (Indian Flapshell Turtle, Indian Softshell Turtle), and Bear species.
Two illegal wildlife trade incidents were reported from countries such as Bangladesh and Malaysia. Some of the reported wildlife species in seizures were Capped Langur and Pig-nosed Turtle.
Disclaimer: Instances with insufficient taxonomic information were excluded from this assessment
Important Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) news from India and other countries:
1. Incidents involving seizure of pangolin parts/products:
- Based on intelligence, the Forest Department seized one live Indian Pangolin weighing 13 kg from Wardha District, Maharashtra. Four individuals were arrested. In a separate incident, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department seized another live pangolin from Wardha District, Maharashtra. Six individuals were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) seized 824 grams of pangolin scales along with two pieces of elephant ivory from Kamrup Metropolitan District, Assam. Link1
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Based on intelligence, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seized 6 kg of pangolin scales, 3 otter skins, and 2 leopard skins along with other leopard parts/products from Panchkula District, Haryana. Four suspects were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
2. Incidents involving airport seizures:
- Customs Officials seized two live Red-shanked Douc Langur from Kolkata airport, West Bengal. The seized species were kept hidden in a plastic basket and the consignment came from Bangkok, Thailand. One suspect was arrested. Link1
Photo Credit: The Times Of India
- Based on intelligence, the Customs Officials seized five Siamang from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, Maharashtra. The monkeys were concealed in plastic boxes and cages and the consignment came from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. One passenger was arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5
Photo Credit: Mumbai Customs-III
- Customs Officials seized eight monkeys from Veer Savarkar International Airport in Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair), Andaman and Nicobar. The monkeys were hidden in the luggage and the consignment came from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Two passengers were arrested. Link1 Link2
- Based on intelligence, Customs Officials seized several reptiles along with other species including- Red Cornsnake, Mexican Milksnake, Black Kingsnake, California Kingsnake, Desert Kingsnake, Common Green Iguana, Monitor Lizard, Variable Squirrel, Tarantula Spider, and Scorpion from Jaipur airport, Rajasthan. The seized species were hidden in plastic packets and boxes and the consignment came from Bangkok, Thailand. Two passengers were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4
Photo Credit: India Today
- During routine inspections, Customs Officials seized 5 Red Cornsnakes, 8 Eastern Milksnakes, 9 Ball Pythons, 4 Bearded Dragons, 7 Crested Geckos, 11 Cameroon Dwarf Gecko, 1 Gecko, 14 Millipede, and a spider from Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, Terminal 3, Delhi. The seized species were hidden in the luggage and consignment came from Bangkok, Thailand. Three passengers were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5
Photo Credit: Republic
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized several bird, monkey, and reptile species at Bangalore airport, Karnataka. The seized species were hidden in the luggage. Two passengers were arrested. Link1
- Based on intelligence, Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), in collaboration with the Airport Auxiliary Police (Avsec) seized 4386 Pig-nosed Turtles from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Malaysia. The turtles were stored in small plastic containers and hidden in the luggage and the consignment was heading towards Hanoi, Vietnam. Two suspects were arrested. Link1
Photo Credit: Jabatan PERHILITAN Semenanjung Malaysia | New Straits Times
3. Incidents involving seizure of tortoise and freshwater turtle species:
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 1346 live and 102 dead Indian Flapshell Turtles from Khordha District, Odisha. The turtles were kept in 71 trays along with ice cubes and dead fish to make it appear as fish transport. The consignment was being transported from Narayanpur area, Ranga Reddy District, Andhra Pradesh to Badgaon area, West Bengal. One suspect was arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4
Photo Credit: The New Indian Express
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 1853 turtles at Belgharia Expressway Kolkata, West Bengal. The turtles were concealed behind crates of fish. Two suspects were arrested. Link1
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) seized 70 live turtles, two turtle eggs and one dead turtle at Varanasi Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh. The seized turtles were hidden in bags. One passenger was arrested. Link1
4. Incidents involving seizure of bird species:
- Based on intelligence, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department seized three Alexandrine Parakeets from Boudh District, Odisha. Furthermore, based on the findings of this case, 13 Alexandrine Parakeets and four Indian Softshell Turtles were seized in a separate incident from a house in Sambalpur District, Odisha. Four suspects were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Based on intelligence, the Forest Department along with the Customs Officials seized 16 Alexandrine Parakeets near Pune railway station, Maharashtra. The birds were kept in a box, and they were brought from Hyderabad, Telangana. Two suspects were arrested. Further investigations are underway. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4
Photo Credit: The Bridge Chronicle
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department seized 91 Alexandrine Parakeets from Ranchi District, Jharkhand. Link1
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
Other incidents involving bird species:
5. Incidents involving seizure of marine species:
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department and the Police seized 200 kg of semi-processed sea cucumbers from Thoothukudi District, Tamil Nadu. The seized species were kept in sacks. Link1
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) along with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the Forest Department seized one Seashell, 126 Mongoose hairbrushes, 63 Deer horns and 7875 Wild Boar tooth weighing 32.7 kg from Amritsar District, Punjab. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department and the Police seized one coral along with two jars of snake venom and deer horns weighing 2.5 kg from Muzaffarpur District, Bihar. Link1
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
Other incidents involving marine species:
6. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) along with the Forest Department and the Special Task Force (STF) seized bear gallbladders at Pithoragarh District, Uttarakhand. In another separate incident, bear bile weighing 27 grams was seized from Dehradun District, Uttarakhand. Two suspects were arrested. Link1 Link2 Link3 Link4 Link5 Link6
Photo Credit: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
7. Based on intelligence, Dhaka Metropolitan DB-wari branch seized 11 Capped Langur from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The seized species were collected from Chattogram hill tracks area for transport to Satkhira border via Dhaka for smuggling. Three suspects were arrested. Link1
Other IWT news:
- Man arrested from Shillong for links to Chandrapur tiger poaching network | The Times of India
- Leopard hide seized; six detained | Orrisa Post
- Forest department seizes 15 tonnes of smuggled Khair wood near Charoti | Mid-day
- Task force seizes red sanders worth Rs 4.2 cr | Hans India
- Assam: Dhubri forest officials crackdown on illegal sawmills in Hatsinghimari | India Today NE
- Two held in Dibrugarh for smuggling leopard hide and bones | The Times of India
- Two held for trying to sell tiger claws, pelt | The Times of India
- Pune city police seize red sand boa, two arrested | The Indian Express
- Assam Forest Department seizes two elephant tusks in Manas, one arrested | India Today NE
- Four held with nilgai meat, barasingha antlers | The Times of India
- Monitor lizard meat found in abandoned bag in Kolkata hospital; probe on | Hindustan Times
- Maharashtra: Man carrying grey langur meat caught from inside Tungareshwar sanctuary | mid-day
- ED detects diversion of Odisha forest department fund of Rs 2.5 cr, seizes ‘tiger skin’ | The Print
- Forest dept starts drive action against illegal sawmills in Pune | Hindustan Times
- One Leopard skin was seized in a joint operation at Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh | Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
- Six exotic birds found dead in baggage; officials suspect 'trial run' | The Times Of India