City a major hub for trade of protected species

MUMBAI: Abundant land, sea and air connectivity has made Mumbai a major transit centre to smuggle protected animals and their body parts to Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, a first-of-its-kind report by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) has found.

The report, based on information from 2012 to June 2018, was compiled by the western region of the WCCB — which comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It found forest officials, police and the WCCB have seized turtles, snakes, birds and body parts such as skin, claws, nails and bones from Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat. And, 70% of these cases were reported from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). So far, 230 people have been arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. “Cities like Mumbai are collection points for wildlife trade,” said Dr Saket Badola, who heads TRAFFIC India, a global wildlife trade monitoring network. A similar number of cases are reported from Chennai and Kolkata, Dr Badola said.

The bureau lists Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia as major destinations for the illegal cargo from Mumbai. The smuggled animals arrive from countries along the Persian Gulf, apart from south-east Asia.

“Mumbai acts as a transit city for this illicit trade. It is controlled largely through the Internet, with major suppliers and distributors working online. A majority of the international trade takes place through flights, not sea or land routes as it is faster,” said M Maranko, regional deputy director, WCCB.

››FULL REPORT, P5

INDIAN CITIES ARE FAVOURED HUBS AS THE LOCAL LAW DOES NOT BAN THE TRADE OF SUCH SPECIES