In a tragic incident of wildlife smuggling, a baby Kangaroo died due to suffocation after a Tamil Nadu wildlife smuggler flew a joey (a young kangaroo or wallaby) inside a suitcase from all the way Bangkok to Bengaluru Airport. The smuggler also tried to smuggle 233 reptiles including cobras, crocodiles, tortoises and lizards. These were rescued by the Airport authorities.
The smuggler responsible for the wildlife trafficking has been arrested by police. Authorities at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru were shocked to see reptiles of exotic species smuggled in such large numbers. The recovery included snakes, lizards, tortoises in large numbers. The accused is a 32-year-old man, said reports.
Bengaluru Airport on the incident
The passenger accused of smuggling had travelled on Thai AirAsia's flight FD 137. The flight had landed in Bengaluru around 10.30 in the night on Wednesday (August 22).
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The Bengaluru Air Customs said that the Airport used passenger profiling which helped it intercept the flyer, who had shortly crossed the green channel. The accused was stopped just as he approached the exit gate of the airport's arrival area.
The airport authorities grew suspicious as they saw the large trolley bag carried by the passenger. He had also taken the green channel, a route which is dedicated for passengers with no goods to declare that falls under duty bound or prohibited goods category.
The menace of wildlife smuggling
The menace of wildlife smuggling is something that afflicts the wildlife all across the globe. Many attempts are made to smuggle exotic wildlife creatures through the air route or even using road and sea route. Reptiles and mammal like Pangolins are a constant victim of wildlife smugglers. The menace of wildlife smuggling has made Pangolins the world's most smuggled and trafficked mammal or animal. World Wildlife Fund For Nature (WWF) says that wildlife trafficking is the 4th largest illegal trade across the world and the crime is estimated at worth £15 billion every year.
