When iguanas, cuscus, snakes are smuggled into Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) has recorded around 25 wildlife smuggling cases till August, with May registering the highest — six incidents involving a total of 6,344 animals, including red-eared slider turtles, snakes, spotted cuscus, opossums, African spurred tortoises, and blue iguanas.

Customs officials at the airport and the Forest Department are currently working together to address the growing issue, after noticing an increase in cases since 2023, officials from both departments said. In the most recent case, on September 18, customs seized a water monitor lizard, an emerald tree monitor, a common spotted cuscus, and fig parrots, all being illegally imported from Thailand.

Overall, wildlife smuggled into the city is higher compared to that smuggled out of the city. Some of the recently smuggled species include wreathed hornbills, red-eared slider turtles, spotted cuscus, douc langurs, and gibbons. So far in 2025, the smuggling of over 10,000 wildlife specimens has been recorded at KIA.

Security issues

While the baggage scanners used for security checks at the airport are capable of detecting even the most minute irregularities, live or dead animals pose a challenge, said a senior customs official at KIA.

“These animals show up just like any other organic material. If there is a bigger animal, you’ll be able to see the spine, but that’s not possible with small animals. It takes a trained eye to detect the wildlife, based on minute movements. This is one of the reasons why the wildlife goes undetected. But we’re able to track and intercept such smuggling cases,” he elaborated.

While most documented cases of illegally imported wildlife originate from Southeast Asia, Thailand has been involved in the highest number of cases. A few cases from Singapore have also been reported.

“While the security at Indian airports is under the direct control of the Government of India, I’ve been informed that it is not the same in Thailand. Some parts of the security process have been outsourced to private companies. Comparatively, Malaysia is more proactive and strict with its security efforts,” he pointed out.

In an attempt to tighten security, airport authorities recently reached out to specific Southeast Asian airlines. “It was noted that a few specific airlines have been involved in the illegal import of wildlife. So, we reached out to them and have given a warning that if security measures are not taken from their end, action will be taken,” a source in the know told DH. As per the data provided by the Customs Department, the airlines commonly involved in recent wildlife smuggling operations include Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, IndiGo, and Thai AirAsia.

Jurisdictional dilemma

Most cases of wildlife smuggling at KIA have involved carriers from outside the state, mostly Tamil Nadu, said Santosh Kumar G, Deputy Conservator of Forests.

“They’re part of a wider smuggling network, which operates from various points outside the state. So tracking the network becomes difficult due to jurisdictional boundaries. The smugglers smartly use this hindrance to their benefit,” he said.

As a result, while the Customs Department has been empowered to track down smugglers on the airport premises, it is unable to investigate the cases further. “To overcome this, we’re collaborating with the Customs Department to further investigate and track down the smuggling racket. We have gotten a few leads through the last few cases,” he told DH.

“We’re working towards bringing in stricter measures to curb such crimes. Instead of booking a case and waiting for the investigation to complete, we’re working with customs officials to impound the passports of the accused once caught,” he added.

Focusing on the way forward, social rights activist Mansoor Chetlu believes an interdepartmental body needs to be set up to look into the wildlife smuggling racket.

Earlier this year, on May 12, Mansoor filed a complaint with the Director General and Inspector General of Police seeking immediate action against the ongoing wildlife smuggling operations at the airport. However, he is yet to receive a response from the police, he told DH.

“In addition to protecting the wildlife, there is also a major concern for human safety here. Earlier this year, a person carried nine venomous snakes in their carry-on while travelling from Bangkok to Bengaluru. If these snakes had escaped, it would have led to a major disaster. This was a major security lapse. There needs to be a committed body to look into these issues,” he said.

The Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) refused to comment on the topic.

What’s on the smuggling list

Some of the wildlife most commonly smuggled into the city include birds like the wreathed hornbills, great billed parrot and hanging parrots, reptiles like the bearded dragon, blue and green iguanas, and various kinds of snakes, tortoises and turtles, and mammals like silver and white-bearded gibbons. Wildlife smuggled out of Bengaluru often includes the Indian star tortoise and a few snake species.

The smugglers often use innovative tactics to hide the live animals, such as stuffing smaller animals in cereal boxes and in between diapers and disguising larger animals amongst soft toys.

While wildlife that is illegally imported is immediately sent back to the origin country once a case is booked against the accused, local wildlife is released within the designated forest limits by the Forest Department.