Indian customs officials at Mumbai Airport intercepted a passenger arriving from Thailand with 20 live snakes hidden in his luggage. This marks the second such incident in June.
According to a statement by customs, “Officers seized 16 live snakes and foiled yet another attempt of wildlife trafficking from a traveler returning from Thailand.” The passenger was detained on Sunday, and further investigation is underway.
Most of the snakes were non-venomous or mildly venomous species typically sold in the exotic pet trade. Seized species included garter snakes, rhino rat snakes, and Kenyan sand boas.
Earlier this month, customs stopped another traveler attempting to smuggle several venomous vipers. Days later, another person was caught with 100 exotic creatures including chameleons, sunbirds, and tree-climbing possums.
The wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC raised concern over the increasing smuggling trend driven by demand for exotic pets. Over the past 3.5 years, more than 7,000 live and dead animals have been seized on the Thailand-India flight route, according to AFP.
