Bid to smuggle exotic animals foiled at Chennai airport, passenger held

Customs authorities have foiled a bid to smuggle exotic wildlife from Thailand at the airport here, a senior official said on Thursday. Acting on specific inputs, the officials of the Customs department (Airport) intercepted an Indian national from Bangkok who arrived here on February 11. On examination of his checked-in baggage, the department sleuths recovered 31 exotic wildlife -- 9 African spurred tortoises, 4 Iguanas, 1 eastern water dragon, 12 ball pythons, 1 Albino corn snakes, 3 Blue tongued skinks and 1 white king snake -- which were concealed inside two electric appliances in his baggage. On interrogation, the passenger failed to produce any import certificate for the species and confessed that he had transported the wildlife species for monetary consideration, an official release from the Joint Commissioner Sadeesh Kumar K said. The recovered animals come under the provisions of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and were sent back to Thailand. The passenger was arrested under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and further investigation was on, the release added.