Passenger caught smuggling 45 wild animals at Mumbai airport; many dead
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Mumbai: Customs officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport have seized 45 wild animals from a passenger who arrived on a Thai Airways flight early Saturday, with several of the animals found dead due to suffocation.
The passenger was intercepted upon arrival and subjected to a search, during which officials discovered live and dead wildlife hidden in his luggage. Among the trafficked animals were raccoons, hyraxes (small mammals resembling rabbits), black foxes, and iguanas.
An official confirmed that many of the animals had already died from suffocation, likely due to the cramped and inhumane conditions in which they were transported. The attempt constitutes a serious case of wildlife trafficking.
Rescue and wildlife welfare experts from the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) assisted authorities in stabilising and handling the surviving animals. The animals will be deported to their country of origin in accordance with provisions under the Wildlife Protection Act.
With PTI inputs