Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Southern Region conducted a high level inter agency coordination meeting on 23/12/2022 at the office of Airport Authority of India, Chennai, to discuss the preventive measures required to tackle the frequent smuggling of exotic species from Bangkok to Chennai.

The meeting was chaired by Shri. H.V. Girisha Additional Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, New Delhi officials of Bureau Head Quarters, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Forest department of Tamil Nadu, Airports Authority of India, Customs, Animal Quarantine and Certification services, State Police, Central Industrial Security Force, Enforcement Directorate, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Zoological Survey of India, and Bureau of Immigration attended the meeting.

Shri Naganathan, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Tamil Nadu Forest department addressed the meeting and expressed about ill effects of trafficking of wildlife, particularly through flights from different parts of the world. Wildlife Crimes has many ecological impacts which also affects social and cultural aspects of the society.

Dr. Biswas, Animal Quarantine, Regional Officer also expressed his concern about the possible zoonotic diseases spread through trafficking of exotic pets and discussed that about 30 such cases have been reported in past six years and all the animals were deported to the origin country.

 

Dr. M. Kirupasankar, IFS, Regional Deputy Director, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Southern Region, Chennai presented the recently detected cases and appraised the house on all efforts taken by WCCB and Chennai Customs in detection and investigation of Wildlife cases.

After the discussion it was concluded that all agencies must work together with concern, preventive measures are to be developed to check wildlife trafficking and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for implementation of Wildlife (Protection) amendment Act 2022 which covers all the CITES animals.

The airlines authorities were advised to take greater precautions to identify the trafficking discourage trafficking of wildlife species in check in baggages.

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