Mizoram: Police, excise and narcotics department rescue 140 exotic animal and bird species

Mizoram: In a joint operation, the Champhai police of Mizoram and the Champhai excise and narcotics department rescued and seized 140 exotic animals and birds, suspected to be smuggled from Myanmar, and they were handed over to the superintendent, customs preventive force, Champhai, for further action.

Mizoram police confirmed that the team rescued 30 tortoises, 2 monkeys, 2 Marmoset monkeys, 22 Pythons, 18 Sumatran Water Monitors, 55 crocodiles (Hatchlings), 4 Flame Bower birds, 4 Servel cats, 2 Marmosets, and 1 Albino wallaby.

The rescued species were handed over to the superintendent, custom preventive force, for further action, and a probe into the case is underway, ANI reported.

Similarly, as per reports, 41 rare wild animals were rescued in Assam’s Kamrup district last month.

Meanwhile, two of the rescued turtles died within a few hours of rescue.

Notably, the monkeys that were rescued are of six different species. They were suspected to have been taken from Thailand or Myanmar. 

The security agencies have arrested two people, identified as Raghu Singh and Karthik, both from Tamil Nadu in this connection.

At least 94 animals of exotic species, including 29 leopard tortoises, 38 red-footed tortoises, three albino iguanas, and two pythons, were rescued in Mizoram from February 2021 to July 2022.