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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/pet-trade/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 09:15:05 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>Rising illegal wildlife trade across Himalayan countries threatens the mountain ecosystem</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Apr 2026 15:26:33 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Vandana K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hindu Kush Himalaya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[poaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife crime]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/28120331/Jiten_170719_MG_6031-scaled-e1777358299720-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37911</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh and Himalayas]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Conservation, Endangered species, Environmental Crime, Himalayas, Pet Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In February this year, 45 people headed towards jewellery shops in Rohru, a town in Himachal Pradesh. But shopping was not their agenda. The group was a squad of forest rangers, guards and van mitras, on a mission, Operation Clawing Back, to raid shops to seize jewellery allegedly made from claws and teeth of leopards and feathers of protected birds. This raid illustrates a wider phenomenon in the Himalayas. Illegal wildlife trade is happening across eight countries in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region and has doubled from 2019 onwards compared to 2018 and previous years, found a study published in January 2026. The research was conducted by Babar Khan and Kesang Wangchuk at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal. India and China recorded thousands of seizure incidents, with carnivores, elephants, pangolins, and various endangered animals trafficked for live trade, body parts, and traditional medicine, according to the research. Illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illicit transnational activity in the world. It remains an attractive business for poachers and smugglers, with Southeast Asia at the epicentre of much of this crime. Over 12,000 species of animals and plants have been traded internationally in recent years. A threat to biodiversity and the mountain ecosystem The HKH stretches over 3,500 kilometres from west to east, spanning either all or part of these eight countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. The region hosts four global biodiversity hotspots — Himalaya, Indo-Burma, and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/rising-illegal-wildlife-trade-across-the-himalayan-countries-threatens-the-mountain-ecosystem/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Global trade in ornamental freshwater fish drives invasion and conservation challenges [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/global-trade-in-ornamental-freshwater-fish-drives-invasion-and-conservation-challenges-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/global-trade-in-ornamental-freshwater-fish-drives-invasion-and-conservation-challenges-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>14 Apr 2025 10:41:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[R.J. Ranjit Daniels]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pets]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/11161408/Dwarf_gourami_common_color_morph-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32182</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Pet Trade, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Aquarium trade is a multibillion-dollar business with the value of trade in ornamental fishes alone estimated at $6 billion in 2023. Japan, Indonesia and Singapore export the maximum quantity of ornamental aquarium fish, while India ranks 19th among the world’s ornamental fish exporting nations. There are indications that ornamental fish-keeping may have originated in China [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Aquarium trade is a multibillion-dollar business with the value of trade in ornamental fishes alone estimated at $6 billion in 2023. Japan, Indonesia and Singapore export the maximum quantity of ornamental aquarium fish, while India ranks 19th among the world’s ornamental fish exporting nations. There are indications that ornamental fish-keeping may have originated in China with the domestication of common carps and goldfish more than 1000 years ago. Compact home aquariums as we know today however became popular only during the 19th century. The British were among the earliest European fish-hobbyists. They started to collect and transport tropical freshwater fishes from the Commonwealth to their temperate homes, which was likely the precursor to today’s global multibillion-dollar enterprise of tropical fish-keeping. Early fish-hobbyists chose only the small and medium-sized species of tropical freshwater fishes for their aquariums. These were predominantly from south and southeast Asian countries and the tropical American waters. Some of the favourites were barbs, rasboras, danios and tetras. A few species of cichlids, including the still very popular angelfish, were also domesticated and selectively bred. Air-breathers of south and southeast Asian origin like paradise fish, betta (Siamese fighter) and gourami and tropical American live-bearers such as the guppy, platy, swordtail and mollies also joined the bandwagon. Two species of Indian freshwater fishes that were widely domesticated and traded are the zebra danio and dwarf gourami. These two species are relatively small in size and are found in the wild throughout the country. Although at present many other Indian&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/global-trade-in-ornamental-freshwater-fish-drives-invasion-and-conservation-challenges-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/global-trade-in-ornamental-freshwater-fish-drives-invasion-and-conservation-challenges-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Bare-bellied and barely seen, Madras hedgehog needs a headcount</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/bare-bellied-and-barely-seen-madras-hedgehog-needs-a-headcount/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/bare-bellied-and-barely-seen-madras-hedgehog-needs-a-headcount/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Feb 2025 11:57:42 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi Menon]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Endangered species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Habitat fragmentation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hunting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land use]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/02/18125939/IMG_20240818_204130-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31535</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Endemic species, Grasslands, Habitat Loss, and Pet Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[There&#8217;s more to hedgehogs than being vibrant croquet balls in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and their adorable acts in certain Hollywood animated movies. Hedgehogs play important roles in the ecosystem with their distinct ecology, dietary habits, and behaviour; they&#8217;re considered ecological indicators. They feed on soil invertebrates, so a significant decline in hedgehogs implies the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[There&#8217;s more to hedgehogs than being vibrant croquet balls in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and their adorable acts in certain Hollywood animated movies. Hedgehogs play important roles in the ecosystem with their distinct ecology, dietary habits, and behaviour; they&#8217;re considered ecological indicators. They feed on soil invertebrates, so a significant decline in hedgehogs implies the quality of the environment has greatly decreased. Their roles as both prey and predator are significant for the ecological balance of the arid dry regions in which they occur. Consider this: being an omnivore, they relish insects and can chomp down up to 40 insects in an hour. It is no surprise, then, that they are considered a farmer’s best friend, playing the part of a natural pest control with military precision. Despite their spiky exterior, they can satiate the hunger of grassland, scrubland, and desert predators such as the Indian fox, jackal, and mongoose. Little-known habitat specialists Characterised by the abundance of small spines covering their entire body, excluding the face, legs, and underbelly, as well as their pig-like snout, hedgehogs are classified under the order Eulipotyphla and family Erinaceidae, and are found in Asia, Africa, and Europe. There are three species of hedgehogs in India: the Indian long-eared or collared hedgehog (Hemiechinus collaris); the Indian hedgehog (Paraechinus micropus); and the bare-bellied hedgehog, also known as the Madras hedgehog or South Indian hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventrus), explains ecologist Brawin Kumar, a long-term hedgehog researcher. The Indian hedgehog is known to occur in the Desert National Park&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/bare-bellied-and-barely-seen-madras-hedgehog-needs-a-headcount/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/bare-bellied-and-barely-seen-madras-hedgehog-needs-a-headcount/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>New tarantulas described from the Western Ghats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Jan 2025 12:34:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Liz Kimbrough]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[species]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spiders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tarantula]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Ghats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife trafficking]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/08113355/Screenshot-2024-12-31-at-8-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=30992</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Western Ghats]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, New species, Pet Trade, Research, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when there are more than 60 species in the country,” Zeeshan Mirza, from the Max [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A researcher described four new species of tarantulas, including one new genus, from India’s Western Ghats, a chain of mountains running along the country’s west coast. “Most people in India are not even aware that there are tarantulas in India when there are more than 60 species in the country,” Zeeshan Mirza, from the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Germany, who found and described the species, told Mongabay. Zeeshan Mirza with one of the new tarantula species from the Western Ghats. Mirza has discovered several species of reptiles in India as well. Image courtesy of Zeeshan Mirza. The large, fuzzy spiders live in tree hollows, along streams and forest paths, and in forest patches. They exhibit interesting behaviours, such as females carrying their egg sacs under their mouth parts (or chelicerae) or creating hammock-like web structures to protect their eggs. One of the new species, named Haploclastus bratocolonus (meaning “tree dweller”), makes its home in hollow trees along rivers. Another species, Haploclastus montanus, was found living at elevations higher than 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in mountain forests, making it one of the highest-living tarantulas known from the region. Some of the new species were found in the rare small fragments of remaining shola forest surrounded by tea plantations. Among the species was an entirely new genus of tarantulas called Cilantica, named after the Tamil word for spider. They can be identified by the unique scattered pattern of curved bristles on their bodies, unlike the C-shaped arrangement of bristles found in other tarantulas. A female&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/new-tarantulas-described-from-the-western-ghats/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>West Africa&#8217;s illegal online bird trade finds most buyers in South Asia</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Jul 2022 13:28:28 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Elizabeth Claire Alberts]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/07/05114046/African-gray-parrot-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=18955</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Asia, India, and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Birds, Environmental Crime, Pet Trade, Wildlife, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The rose-ringed parakeet is a common pet across many countries. The bright green plumage and range of vocalisations make it one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. The birds are native to parts of Africa and Asia, where traders capture them to supply the continual demand. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The rose-ringed parakeet is a common pet across many countries. The bright green plumage and range of vocalisations make it one of the most sought-after birds in the pet trade. The birds are native to parts of Africa and Asia, where traders capture them to supply the continual demand. The rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) has been so widely trafficked that, in 1976, countries moved to list the species on Appendix III of CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, in an effort to monitor and regulate the trade. But in 2007, CITES delisted the rose-ringed parakeet, along with 115 other wild bird species found in West Africa, possibly in response to the European Union banning the import of wild-caught birds in 2005, experts say. While the EU ban did reduce some trade, experts say that sales are picking up in the Middle East and South Asia, and that the lack of CITES regulations has made it very difficult to monitor the trade, particularly when it comes to birds originating from West Africa. Although India has strong domestic restrictions on the importation of wild birds, it&#8217;s prominently involved in the trade, the researchers noted. “We know that the unsustainable trade in wild birds from the region has caused populations of some species to collapse but for most species there is essentially no monitoring of populations in the wild,” Rowan Martin, a wild bird expert who holds positions at both the Centre of Excellence at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/07/west-africas-illegal-online-bird-trade-finds-most-buyers-in-south-asia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Rare ornamental fish from Assam on the brink of extinction</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/rare-ornamental-fish-from-assam-on-the-brink-of-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/rare-ornamental-fish-from-assam-on-the-brink-of-extinction/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Nov 2021 10:13:12 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Anuraag Baruah]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extinction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Northeast India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[river]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/11/01224558/2-e1635787064915-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=16043</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Pet Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It&#8217;s late May and it has been raining continuously since the last three days. The beels and ponds of Orang National Park in Assam are filling up again. Monsoon is here and so is the season to make some extra bucks, Jalaluddin thought to himself. He has already discussed this with a few local fishermen [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It&#8217;s late May and it has been raining continuously since the last three days. The beels and ponds of Orang National Park in Assam are filling up again. Monsoon is here and so is the season to make some extra bucks, Jalaluddin thought to himself. He has already discussed this with a few local fishermen of the fringe villages of the Park. If they can catch the ‘Pipli Cheng’ fish for him, he has promised to reward them handsomely. The buyer in Guwahati has promised him Rs. 35,000 for a single ‘Pipli Cheng’ fish. Even if he has to pay Rs. 10,000 for a single fish to the fisherman, he can still make a decent profit, Jalaluddin knows. ‘Pipli Cheng’ or ‘Cheng Garaka’ is the local name for the Channa barca or the Barca snakehead fish, a rare species of snakehead endemic to the upper Brahmaputra river basin in northeastern India and Bangladesh. It was first described by Scottish physician Francis Hamilton in 1822 who made significant contributions as a zoologist among other disciplines while living in India. He has described it as Ophiocephalus barca (now genus Channa) first seen in the Brahmaputra river near Golpara in Assam. In the present times, it is mainly found in and around the Orang National Park located on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river. It is now a rare ornamental fish and never collected in numbers. “It is found in the Brahmaputra basin which, because of being a flood prone area, suits&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/rare-ornamental-fish-from-assam-on-the-brink-of-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/11/rare-ornamental-fish-from-assam-on-the-brink-of-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Exotic animal trade carries risks of disease outbreak and introduction of invasive species</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/exotic-animal-trade-carries-risks-of-disease-outbreak-and-introduction-of-invasive-species/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/exotic-animal-trade-carries-risks-of-disease-outbreak-and-introduction-of-invasive-species/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Apr 2021 13:20:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nabarun Guha]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/04/15110727/banner-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13898</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Connected Environments]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Environment, Environmental Law, Human Wildlife Conflict, Pet Trade, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On March 16 this year, around ten days before Assam went to polls, routine checks were on at the checkpoint in Ghiladhari in Golaghat district of the eastern state. When the police stopped a private vehicle, they didn’t expect what they saw – macaws, silvery marmosets and golden-headed tamarin, all exotic animals, usually found in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
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							<![CDATA[On March 16 this year, around ten days before Assam went to polls, routine checks were on at the checkpoint in Ghiladhari in Golaghat district of the eastern state. When the police stopped a private vehicle, they didn’t expect what they saw – macaws, silvery marmosets and golden-headed tamarin, all exotic animals, usually found in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The case was then handed over to the forest department, who passed it to the customs department as the seized animals were of foreign origin. The animals were later sent to the Assam State Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Guwahati. A customs official from Golaghat said, “We have arrested three people. The main accused is from Tamil Nadu while the other two people are drivers from Manipur. They said that they collected the animals from Ima market in Imphal and their destination was Chennai. We are assuming that these animals entered India via Myanmar border in Moreh.” A red kangaroo rescued by Cachar Forest Division from Lailapur. India is now slowly emerging as a major demand market for exotic animals, experts say. Photo by the Cachar Forest Division. There have been multiple instances in the last one year when exotic animals have been seized by different enforcement agencies across northeast India. On February 19, this year, Assam Rifles and Customs rescued 80 exotic animals including rare species like leopard tortoise, red-footed tortoise, yellow, orange and green iguana, bearded dragon and albino iguana around the Friendship Bridge over the Tayo river&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/exotic-animal-trade-carries-risks-of-disease-outbreak-and-introduction-of-invasive-species/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Excess Baggage: How wildlife is trafficked by air in and out of India</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Jul 2020 11:59:41 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Mahima Jain]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/07/09174623/african-gray-parrot-195758_1920-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=10523</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Crime, Environmental Law, Law Enforcement, Pet Trade, Wildlife Protection Act, Wildlife Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
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							<![CDATA[The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth upto US$ 19 billion annually, and is the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeit, and human trafficking. On June 21, 2020, Kolkata airport officials arrested a man with exotic macaws and parrots, native to South America and New Guinea. The birds were smuggled from Bangladesh, and [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[The global illegal trade in wildlife is worth upto US$ 19 billion annually, and is the fourth largest illicit market after drugs, counterfeit, and human trafficking. On June 21, 2020, Kolkata airport officials arrested a man with exotic macaws and parrots, native to South America and New Guinea. The birds were smuggled from Bangladesh, and headed for Bengaluru, local media reported. This isn’t an isolated incident. Wildlife traffickers routinely use the gaps in the rapidly expanding air transport sector to smuggle endangered and exotic live animals, plants, and their parts. Wildlife trade poses the second-biggest direct threat to the survival of species after habitat destruction. “India’s fast-growing air transport sector can pose a major problem,” said Saket Badola, head of the India office of TRAFFIC, a global wildlife trade monitoring network. The number of airports in India increased from 50 in 2009 to 127 in 2019, including 23 international airports which handled 66.54 million passengers in 2019-2020. “Wildlife trafficking by the air is generally of high-end, high-value products,” explained Badola. In comparison, smuggling by seaports or land is large in volume or size. India is among the top 20 countries for illegal wildlife trade. Chennai and Mumbai airports act as key destinations and origin points for traffickers, according to Runway to Extinction, a report published by C4ADS as part of the USAID ROUTES (Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species) Partnership in May 2020. The ROUTES partnership is global and multi-sectoral international with aim to disrupt wildlife trafficking activities. The&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/07/excess-baggage-how-wildlife-is-trafficked-by-air-in-and-out-of-india/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Bid for greater protection of star tortoise at the ongoing CITES conference</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/bid-for-greater-protection-of-star-tortoise-at-the-ongoing-cites-conference/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/bid-for-greater-protection-of-star-tortoise-at-the-ongoing-cites-conference/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Aug 2019 11:00:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Dennis Mombauer]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2019/08/22110103/Indian-star-tortoise-CITES-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=6456</guid>

					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Pet Trade, and Wildlife Trafficking]]>
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											<description>
							<![CDATA[In June 2019, law enforcement agents stopped a car to check four trolley bags that passengers had loaded in a rush at a railway station in Kolkata. In July, officers arrested a passenger at a railway station in Andhra Pradesh and inspected his suitcase. Earlier, in March, custom officials opened abandoned luggage in the halls [&#8230;]]]>
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							<![CDATA[In June 2019, law enforcement agents stopped a car to check four trolley bags that passengers had loaded in a rush at a railway station in Kolkata. In July, officers arrested a passenger at a railway station in Andhra Pradesh and inspected his suitcase. Earlier, in March, custom officials opened abandoned luggage in the halls of Manila’s international airport. In each incident, officials found the same thing: live turtles crawling over and underneath each other, crammed into plastic bags or buckets, hidden between clothes or wrapped in duct tape. Most are no bigger than 10 centimetres (4 inches) in length. Most are Indian star tortoises (Geochelone elegans), the most confiscated species of freshwater tortoise in the world, according to the wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC. That could change at the ongoing Conference of the Parties to CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, where a proposal to restrict the trade in the species significantly will be discussed. Proposal for protection Indian star tortoises live in grasslands, scrub forests and coastal scrublands. They’re only found in Sri Lanka, southern and eastern India, and a region in northwestern India and adjoining Pakistan. Since 1975, the species has been protected under CITES Appendix II, meaning that its trade requires registration and special permits. Appendix II allows for regulated trade of captive-bred specimens. The star tortoise is classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Illegal collection for the international wildlife trade&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2019/08/bid-for-greater-protection-of-star-tortoise-at-the-ongoing-cites-conference/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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