Only one of the two endangered gibbons survived its trip to Mumbai, with Indian officials saying a wildlife trafficking “syndicate” was behind the smuggling operation.
Two gibbons were discovered by Indian customs officials in checked baggage at Mumbai’s airport on Thursday.
One of the tiny primates was dead, and the other was seen being cared for by an official in a video shared by Indian Customs.
Officials said the exotic animals were shipped for delivery in India by a wildlife trafficking “syndicate.”
One passenger, who had traveled from Malaysia via Thailand, was arrested in Mumbai by officers acting on “specific intelligence,” without providing further detail.
“A subsequent search of their checked baggage, a trolley bag, led to the discovery and seizure of two silvery gibbons, one live and one found dead, which were concealed in a basket,” the customs department said.
The silvery gibbon is found in the rainforests of Java in Indonesia.
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India a market for smuggled exotic animals
Over 7,000 animals, both dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route over the past three and a half years, according to data provided by wildlife trade monitor TRAFFIC.
Several of the more recent incidents were reported at the Mumbai airport. Last week, a passenger was arrested attempting to smuggle snakes, tortoises and a raccoon.
In June, two passengers from Thailand were caught in Mumbai toting dozens of venomous vipers and more than 100 other creatures, including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums.
Gibbons native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand were also picked up from a smuggler by customs officials in Mumbai.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
DW News
