Latest news with #WildlifeProtectionAct
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
Flyer Smuggles In 2 Monkeys, 7 Tortoises From Bangkok, Caught In Chennai
Chennai: An Indian man returning from Bangkok was caught carrying two live monkeys of different species in ventilated carry bags and seven tortoises in a cloth bag at the Chennai airport. The passenger was arrested on Wednesday night and later sent to judicial custody by a court. The animals have been sent back to Thailand. The import of such wildlife without authorisation is prohibited under the Customs Act, 1962, the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) regulations governing international trade in endangered species. The arrest reflects a worrying trend as the Chennai airport has been seeing several cases of exotic animals being smuggled in, mainly from Southeast Asian countries. In August 2024, Customs officers caught a passenger from Bangkok trying to bring in 22 rare animals, including snakes, turtles, and flying monkeys. A few weeks before that, another passenger was found with 14 pythons, 30 blue iguanas, and four squirrels hidden in bags. In 2022, there were 11 cases at the airport and the animals whose smuggling was attempted included albino porcupines, sugar gliders, tamarin monkeys and tortoises. Experts say the cases indicate that Chennai is being used as a key transit point for wildlife smuggling. Most of the species are brought from countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and then make their way to the illegal pet trade. Chennai Customs authorities said they have boosted surveillance and increased the number of quick action teams.
India Today
a day ago
- Politics
- India Today
Why bringing a King Cobra to Bhopal wasn't a good idea
One of the two King Cobras brought to Madhya Pradesh from Mangalore zoo died at the Van Vihar National Park's snake enclosure. Said to be five years old, the snake was found dead by the caretaker in the morning of June 18. Officials scanned CCTV footage of the enclosure to get an idea of what could have killed the snake. Though usually two veterinarians conduct the postmortem of the other animals like tigers listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to carry out the snake's postmortem a team of five veterinarians, including some called from outside Bhopal, was brought in—perhaps due to the sensitivities involved. They prima facie reported respiratory distress as the cause of death. Viscera samples were sent to the state wildlife health college at Jabalpur for King Cobra is not a species endemic to the state and had been brought to Van Vihar on April 6 at the behest of the chief minister. Forest department officials had scouted around the country looking for the cobras before zeroing in on two male specimens at the Mangalore zoo. The one still alive has now been shifted to the Indore CM had in a meeting of IFS officers announced that King Cobras should be brought to MP from elsewhere. Though they are expected to know wildlife management, the officials rather feebly protested the CM's demand before giving in. The CM had said he wanted the King Cobra back in MP because the population of other snake species had increased a lot. He cited a large number of snake bite cases in Dindori, a district in eastern MP where the state government had to shell out lakhs in compensation. The CM felt the presence of King Cobras would check the population of other the CM also ordered a snake census, which has never been done in India and is dismissed by experts as carrying little conservation value. While MP has done exceptionally well in translocation of species, none of the species introduced before the King Cobras were brought in had been alien. In other words, all of them, such as the cheetahs or even Gaur in Bandhavgarh and swamp deer in Satpura National Park, had existed in these habitats before they were wiped out due to local officials say the department is also finalising getting zebras, rhinos and giraffes from Africa to be kept at Van Vihar National Park. However, when conceptualized in the early 1980s, this national park was meant to house species endemic to MP, says a former official associated with the park's setting to India Today Magazine
NDTV
a day ago
- NDTV
Who Is Kirti Patel, Influencer Arrested For Honeytrapping Gujarat Builder
Social media influencer Kirti Patel was arrested on Wednesday in Ahmedabad after evading police for more than 10 months in connection with a high-profile honey trapping and extortion case in Surat. She allegedly blackmailed a real estate builder in Surat and demanded crores. The case against her was registered on June 2 last year, after which a local court issued a warrant for her arrest. Four others named in the FIR were previously taken into custody. Surat Police said Patel managed to stay off the radar by constantly changing locations across Gujarat, using different SIM cards, and masking her digital footprint with multiple IP addresses. She was finally tracked down to the Sarkhej area of Ahmedabad with the help of cyber surveillance and coordination with Instagram. The police also confirmed that Patel is facing multiple other complaints, including allegations of land grabbing and extortion. Who Is Kirti Patel? Kirti Patel, also known as Kirti Adalja, is a Gujarati digital content creator with over 1.3 million followers on Instagram. She often posts videos that feature her riding bikes and engaging with the public. Despite being on the run for over a year in connection with the high-profile extortion case, Patel remained highly active on social media. Her last Instagram post, uploaded five days before her arrest, shows her interacting with young children on the street. Kirti Patel has frequently posted about attending religious events, including the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, earlier this year. She also maintains a presence on YouTube, where she has nearly two lakh subscribers and has been posting since 2019. In a recent video, she shared a news clip related to an FIR being quashed and thanked her supporters for standing by her. In 2020, she was linked to an attempted murder case involving Raghu Bharwad alias Boliyo, who accused her of attacking him following a dispute and publicly insulting him on TikTok. Patel reportedly filed a counter-complaint against him, as per a report in the Times of India. That same year, Kirti Patel was fined Rs 25,000 by the forest department after she posted a TikTok video holding an owl, a protected species under wildlife law. The penalty was imposed by the Surat Wildlife Division for violating the Wildlife Protection Act.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- India Gazette
DRI seizes leopard skins and bones, arrests one trafficker
New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): In a continued effort to combat wildlife crimes, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) executed an operation on June 16, successfully obstructing the trafficking of leopard parts. Acting on credible intelligence, the two suspect persons were intercepted on a highway near Titajuri village on the outskirts of Nagaon, Assam, and two leopard skins and 20 bones of leopard (weighing 2.58 kgs) were recovered from their possession, according to a release. During the chaotic situation, one of the suspects took advantage of the crowd and managed to escape into a nearby forest. The confiscated leopard skins and bones, along with the apprehended individual, were handed over to the Kathiatoli Forest Range for further action. The leopard (Panthera Pardus) is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, providing the highest level of protection for endangered species. Hunting of leopards, and possession and trading of their parts are illegal. The leopard is also listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), thereby banning commercial trade of its parts. The battle against poaching, hunting, smuggling, trafficking and illegal trade of protected species of animals and plants is an ongoing effort of the law enforcement agencies. Besides the present seizure, since January 2025, DRI and Customs in the North Eastern Region have also seized one tiger skin and tiger bones weighing 14 kilograms, two elephant tusks, three kilograms of ambergris (vomit of sperm whale), four leopard skins, two otter skins, one skin of bear head, two kilograms of pangolin scales and eight kilograms of leopard bones. These animals are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, making their hunting prohibited and trading and possession of their parts also prohibited. (ANI)
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Chhattisgarh to widen government appointments for kin of cops killed in Maoist violence
The Chhattisgarh Cabinet on Wednesday [January 18, 2025] approved a proposal to amend the rules for government appointments on compassionate grounds for the family members of police personnel killed in Maoist violence in the State. 'Now, in cases where a police officer is martyred in Naxalite violence, any eligible family member (male or female) may opt for a compassionate appointment in any department across any district or division of the State. Previously, such appointments were generally restricted to the same department or office where the deceased was employed,' an official said, after the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. In doing so, the Cabinet has amended Clause 13(3) of the Unified Revised Guidelines–2013 for compassionate appointments, the official added. Tiger foundation society The Cabinet also decided to set up a tiger foundation society to address the dwindling population of big cats in Chhattisgarh, and take measures for their conservation, the official said. The Chhattisgarh Tiger Foundation Society will function under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. A similar society has been operational in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh since 1996, an official statement added.
