Passenger caught smuggling two monitor lizards at Indian Airport

KUALA LUMPUR: Indian airport authorities busted a passenger smuggling two exotic monitor lizards in his checked baggage upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur, highlighting India's lucrative illegal wildlife trade.
Acting on intelligence, officers from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu, uncovered the reptiles during an inspection.
"Officers of AIU Trichy airport on the basis of intelligence intercepted a passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy ... and the examination of his checked in baggage resulted in the recovery of two monitor lizards," said a communication posted in the X platform of the Trichy Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate yesterday.
Photos released by authorities showed the two reptiles with their mouths and limbs tightly bound before being wrapped in black cloth.
Their legs were also secured with tape, highlighting the cruel methods used in wildlife smuggling.
"Further investigations are ongoing," it added.
NST has reached out to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) for comment.
Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim last month said it had deployed 20 officers to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as part of intensified efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade.
The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has described the smuggling of exotic wildlife through KLIA as a "national embarrassment".
In a statement issued in April, CAP expressed alarm over KLIA's continued role as a major transit point in the illegal wildlife trade.
In early March, two individuals boarded a flight to Chennai with a suitcase containing eight exotic animals, including Eastern Grey Gibbons, marbled polecats, a silvery lutung, and a Sumatran white-bearded palm civet, it had said in a statement. Three baby siamang gibbons were found dead.
Meanwhile, Kadir said that India offers a large market, making it a prime target for wildlife smuggling syndicates.
"In addition to being sold as pets, the black market there highly values rhino horns, pangolin scales, and tiger bones for traditional medicine purposes," he said.
India has emerged as the main destination, accounting for nearly 73 per cent of wildlife smuggling cases.
Based on the information, the airports in Chennai and Mumbai are identified as the main hubs for this illegal trade.

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