KATHMANDU. Indian customs officials in Mumbai say they have intercepted a passenger from Thailand with live snakes.
This is the third such seizure this month. “Customs officials have foiled another attempt to smuggle wildlife, including 16 live snakes, which were seized from a passenger returning from Thailand,” customs officials said at the airport in the Indian financial hub.
The passenger, who arrived on Sunday, was arrested. “Further investigation is underway,” the customs agency said in a statement. The live snakes mostly included reptiles sold in the pet trade, and most were non-venomous or had venom too weak to affect humans.
Among them were garter snakes, rhino rat snakes, and Kenyan sand boas. In early June, customs officials stopped a passenger from Thailand who was smuggling dozens of venomous vipers.
A few days later, officials stopped another passenger carrying 100 creatures, including lizards, sunbirds, and tree-climbing possums. Wildlife trade monitor Traffic, which combats wildlife trafficking, has warned of a “very worrying” trend in smuggling driven by the exotic pet trade.
More than 7,000 live and dead animals have been seized on the Thailand-India air route in the last three and a half years.
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