Wildlife crime intelligence officials in India foiled a plan to bring almost $9 million worth of snake venom for drug use to the international market. According to The New Indian Express, officials seized multiple illicit products during a raid in the Palamu region.
What's happening?
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Palamau Tiger Reserve collaborated on a joint operation to intercept illegally collected snake venom. Following a tip that forest officials received, they surveilled a group suspected of collecting and preparing snake venom trade.
The raid, which occurred Nov. 19, according to The Tribune, uncovered 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) of snake venom and 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of pangolin scales, valued at ₹80 crore ($8.9 million) and ₹20 lakh ($22,274).
According to the Express, officials arrested three individuals: Mohammad Siraj, 60; his son, Mohammad Miraj, 36; and Raju Kumar Shaundik, 50. Other individuals were suspected to have been involved in the conspiracy to illegally trade snake venom as well as the scales from the critically endangered pangolin.
Further investigation led to the arrest of four people, according to The Tribune, though officials suspected there would be more.
"Operation against the entire network is still on," said Prajeshkant Jena, PTR deputy director.
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Why is wildlife trafficking important?
Smuggling live wildlife or wildlife products across international borders reinforces the illegal global wildlife trade while threatening already vulnerable and endangered species.
Pangolins, which are poached for their meat and scales in Asia and for their leather in the United States, face overwhelming pressure and extinction as one of the most-trafficked mammals in the world, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
As wildlife and wildlife products enter international markets, trafficking routes are solidified, lending legitimacy to the criminal networks and illegitimate markets associated with major crimes, including drug, weapons, and human trafficking. Smuggled wildlife can also become invasive species in their new environments, posing a threat to native species and local ecosystems.
Wildlife officials in California recently seized rhino horns, elephant ivory, tusks, and a sea turtle shell. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ivory can sell for $1,500 per pound.
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Definitely 👍 Wildlife conservation organizations have discovered a worrying trend in which "green-collar" traffickers transport and smuggle species under the guise of moving them from zoos to rehabilitation and rescue centers.
What's being done about the illicit wildlife trade?
According to the World Wildlife Fund, China has taken measures to protect the critically endangered pangolin.
Since 2020, it has upgraded the protection status for Chinese and Sunda pangolins to national level 1, which is the highest rating, according to Save Pangolins. The country has also banned the use of pangolin scales in the practice of traditional medicine.
In India, snakes are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, making it illegal to hunt or be in possession of them, their body parts, or their venom. This has led wildlife authorities to regularly collaborate with other government agencies to take down illegal operations involving the trade of wildlife and wildlife products.
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