665 animals of exotic species recovered in Mumbai in biggest seizure of its kind

In one of the biggest seizures of its kind in the city, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has recovered 665 animals of exotic species at the Mumbai airport, an official said on Saturday.

The animals, smuggled into the country concealed in an imported consignment of live fish, included rare lizards, pythons and iguanas, he said. The person who had imported the consignment and the one who was supposed to take its delivery were arrested, the DRI official added.

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Acting on a tip-off, the Mumbai Zonal Unit of the DRI intercepted the consignment on Thursday after it arrived at the Air Cargo Complex, he said. The consignment was opened in the presence of officials of the Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau.

To their shock, a total of 665 animals of rare or endangered species were found concealed inside. The import of such species, listed under appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), is banned, the official said. The seized animals would be handed over to the forest department, he added.