BSF rescue African wild cat from smugglers in West Bengal
This is the third such illegal consignment of exotic animals that have been seized in south Bengal by the border forces since September this year.
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday rescued a serval, an African wild cat, while the animal was being smuggled into India from Bangladesh through Nadia district in West Bengal, officials said on Thursday.
The animal was being smuggled in a huge box when authorities intercepted the smugglers. This is the third such illegal consignment of exotic animals that have been seized in south Bengal by the border forces since September this year. Earlier, four Chinese pheasants and an alpaca were rescued in September and October.
“BSF jawans from the Bhattupara outpost spotted three to four persons approaching the international border. Two of them were carrying a huge box. When the patrolling unit rushed toward them, the miscreants fled leaving behind the box,” a BSF official said.
The box was brought to the BSF outpost and upon finding that there was a wild cat, it was handed over to forest department officials in Nadia.
According to data provided in the Lok Sabha on December 16, West Bengal topped the list of states with the maximum number of arrests related to illegal wildlife trade in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
According to the International Union for Conservation of nature, serval are widely found in sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of tropical rainforest and the Saharan desert. Their population is said to stable.
In October, the BSF seized an alpaca, the smallest of the domesticated camelid species, from Nadia. The animal is native to the Andes in Peru and known for its luxurious wool. In September, four Chinese golden pheasants were seized from North 24 Parganas district.
In September this year, two separate consignments were seized from the bordering districts of south Bengal as a smuggler was arrested from the North 24 Parganas with around 195 star tortoises. In August, another man was caught with a dead monkey and a dead bear cub.
West Bengal shares a 2,216-km-long border with Bangladesh — the longest stretch of international border shared by any state in India with a neighbouring country. This border his highly porous and the BSF frequently seizes gold, drugs, FICN, cattle and sometimes wildlife.
According to the data shared by the Union environment ministry in the Lok Sabha, at least 49 persons were arrested from West Bengal in 2021-22 in connection with illegal wildlife trade. Madhya Pradesh with 46 arrests and Uttar Pradesh with 45 arrests were ranked second and third, respectively. In 2022-23, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu topped the list. West Bengal topped the list with 38 arrests in 2023-24.
“West Bengal not only shares international borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan, but also acts as a gateway to the northeast, which also shares borders with Myanmar, China and Bangladesh. Any such consignment entering the country and destined to addresses in other states will pass through West Bengal. This makes the state a hub for wildlife trade,” a senior officer of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau said.
In April 2022, forest officials rescued at least four kangaroos from Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar in north Bengal. They were reportedly smuggled through Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram. Several consignments of snake venom have also been seized in north Bengal districts while they were being smuggled in crystal jars.
