Wallaby, rare tortoise and exotic monkeys smuggled from Myanmar seized in Assam
The animals, which include rare tortoises, monkeys and wallabies, were recovered from two premium SUVs bearing Delhi number plates at Rangia in Kamrup district
Assam police and forest officials on Thursday recovered several dozen wild and exotic animals that were smuggled via Myanmar.
The animals, which include rare tortoises, monkeys and wallabies, were recovered from two premium SUVs bearing Delhi number plates at Rangia in Kamrup district.
Two people driving the vehicles were detained.
“The vehicles were on their way to Delhi from the Myanmar border in Mizoram. The SUVs had army stickers pasted on them,” said Kamrup superintendent of police Hitesh Roy.
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Forest officials said the process of identifying all the seized species, that were kept in crates, is underway and the exact details of how many animals were being smuggled and their types will be known later.
“We are still trying to verify what species of animals were seized. It will take some time,” said Sunny Deo Choudhury, divisional forest officer, North Kamrup division.
In April this year, forest personnel in Kamrup had rescued five exotic monkeys including a northern white cheeked gibbon and tufted capuchin (both critically endangered) and a wallaby from suspected smugglers.
One person from Maharashtra was arrested who was driving the SUV in which the animals were found.
Earlier in the same month, fived caged primates were rescued from a Manipur-based vehicle in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.
The primates were siamang gibbons, a species found primarily in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Two Manipur residents were arrested in connection with the incident.
