CBI, Interpol to address cross-border trafficking of tigers to China via Nepal

Indian and Nepalese officials will exchange details on ongoing probe related to tiger trafficking, with an aim to bolster intelligence-led enforcement actions

With trafficking of tigers, leopards and other big cats from India to China via Nepal becoming a concern for the authorities, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in collaboration with the Interpol, has organised a two-day Regional Investigative and Analytical Case Meeting (RIACM) in Delhi to discuss intelligence-based enforcement actions against the syndicates, the agency said.

The two-day meeting underscores the importance of international collaboration in combating tiger trafficking. (File photo)

At the meeting, being held on October 3 and 4, the participants “will remap existing criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, with a focus on identifying new targets and re-examining outstanding criminal entities for further coordinated action”, CBI said in a statement on Thursday.

Besides, Indian and Nepalese authorities will work closely to initiate operations against identified criminal targets, utilising Interpol channels to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in other countries affected by the trafficking routes, it added.

“A significant concern remains the trafficking route from India, via Nepal, to China, which continues to be frequently used for the illegal trade of tigers, leopards, and other big cats. Middlemen and traders involved in these networks coordinate the collection, storage, and sale of contraband, facilitating its transportation to far Eastern markets,” CBI said.

At the meeting, Indian and Nepalese authorities will exchange details on ongoing investigations related to tiger trafficking, with an aim to bolster intelligence-led enforcement actions.

“The two-day meeting underscores the importance of international collaboration in combating tiger trafficking, which has serious implications for biodiversity conservation in the region. It also highlights India’s proactive efforts, to curb the illegal wildlife trade relating to one of the world’s most iconic species,” the CBI statement said.

The outcomes of this RIACM, CBI added, are expected to enhance coordination among law enforcement authorities in both India and Nepal, with an overarching goal to break the chains of tiger trafficking that extend beyond borders.

“Whatever evidence we have found of trafficking is from Nepal and Myanmar which are likely to be transit points. As for the destination we cannot name a country. The trafficked parts are from Terai region and Central India. When we find tiger skin, we can map stripes and identify from where they may have been trafficked. But for bones, teeth and other body parts it’s very difficult to tell the region from these parts. We cannot say there is organised trafficking syndicates within India. But if there is incidental killing, many times body parts enter the market. We know that certain groups are operating in Nepal and other areas who are used to transport/trade in these,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

Asserting that the tiger trafficking is a transnational threat that endangers the safety of tigers and other big cats across the region, CBI said the primary focus of this RIACM is to further strengthen cross-border law enforcement cooperation between Indian and Nepalese law enforcement authorities and to facilitate the sharing of criminal intelligence on tiger trafficking routes, trends, and criminal networks.

Among those participating include domain experts from Interpol’s environmental security programme, senior law enforcement officials from Nepal, and representatives from India’s specialised agencies dealing with wildlife crimes, including the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and the Economic Offences-II branch of CBI, which is specialised in environmental and wildlife crimes.

India is home to at least 3,167 tigers, the 2022 census by the National Tiger Conservation Authority released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi showed in April 2023, an increase of 6.74% from 2,967 tigers accounted for in a 2018 survey.

India has more than 70% of the world’s wild tigers, and the population is increasing at an annual rate of 6%.

Nepal has around 355 tigers; Bhutan 131; Russia 586; Bangladesh 114; Thailand 161; Malaysia 150; China 60; Indonesia 393; Myanmar 28 while Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have no tigers left as per the Global Tiger Forum.

“Tiger poaching is a persistent threat owing to the illegal international demand, with criminals using Nepal as a transit route for trafficking of wildlife parts and derivatives,” the Global Tiger Recovery Programme 2.0 (2023-34) said.

It added that illegal trade in tigers and their body parts has to be significantly reduced in the range countries and demand for tiger derivatives has to be reduced in the consumer countries. It called on range countries to: “Commit to responsibly phasing out existing tiger farms and preventing the creation of new ones across and outside the tiger range, including the following steps: halting further breeding in captive facilities through efforts such as separating sexes whilst the phase out plan developed; ensuring DNA and stripe pattern databases are established, robust and accessible, so that testing and analysis procedures are standardised and independently verified.”