CHENNAI: In February, Chennai became the subject of international news when Customs officials at the city’s international airport found that a leopard cub had been smuggled into the city by a passenger from Thailand . On Monday, a rare African venomous snake, the horn pit viper, arrived at Chennai airport with a passenger who was travelling by the same flight, along with iguanas and some other exotic species.These instances, which point to a global syndicate dealing in illegal wildlife species, has piqued the interest of Interpol, which has started co-ordinating with Indian investigative agencies for a probe, said highly placed official sources. The role of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), in detection and prevention of such trade, has come into focus and questioned by other authorities, sources said. WCCB is meant to curb illegal wildlife trade in India.The sources said that Interpol is in touch with Indian and Thailand authorities to piece together intricate details of the trade. “So far what has been a mystery is how these animals have managed to enter undetected at the Bangkok airport. Interpol will probe whether there is collusion of Thai authorities at the airport,” said a top Indian source.The second unanswered question is the purpose of smuggling of such exotic animals into the country. Intelligence agencies are looking at all possibilities, including India being a transit point for such animals as well as demand among wealthy Indians for rearing these animals as pets.As far as the Indian side is concerned, the Customs are following up the issue with the WCCB, an intelligence agency which is meant to curb illegal wildlife trade in India.In both cases, the passengers who smuggled the pets were mere carriers. “They were handed the baggage with the pet at the Bangkok airport by a relative and Rs 10,000-20,000 as a fee. In Chennai, a local handler in the parking would identify them by the colour of the stroller suitcase and take it from them. The carriers are totally unaware of the content in the bag,” said senior officials involved in the investigation. By the time the local contact’s den is raided, they would have already vanished, said a source.The syndicate uses a loophole in the Indian wildlife prevention laws which does not have any deterrent for smuggling exotic species. “The carrier cannot be arrested and is let off after a penalty. The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) needs to check this loophole,” an official said. The species too are sent back to the Thailand.T Uma, deputy director of WCCB Chennai, told TOI why preventing such trade was necessary. “An exotic species is a potential threat to humans as they may bring unknown vectors,” she said. The Customs release had also explained how India does not have anti-venom for the poisonous African viper seized on Monday.

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