Endangered animals rescued from truck on Assam-West Bengal border

Wild animals, including Australian bear cats and Gibon Monks, were rescued by security forces on April 8, from a truck that was intercepted along the Assam-West Bengal border. The truck was stopped at the Joraimore check gate in Bakshirhat, a neighbourhood in the Tufanganj II CD block in the Tufanganj subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the state of West Bengal. The truck was reportedly en route to Maharashtra from Guwahati and the animals were allegedly being smuggled out of the state.

Upon inspection, the security forces recovered several species of endangered animals from the back of the truck. The authorities immediately arrested three individuals who were associated with the alleged smuggling operation. One of the arrestees is from Kerala while the other two hail from Maharashtra. The seized animals have been taken into custody and are being taken care of by animal welfare organizations.

It is worth mentioning that the smuggling of exotic and endangered wild animals through Assam has been a significant problem in recent times. To curb it, authorities have been trying to implement strict enforcement measures. Earlier on March 28, 44 illegally transported cattle were recovered from Jorabat. The police intercepted two trucks loaded with cattle on NH-37 and arrested two smugglers identified as Abul Kalam and Abdul Hamid. The cattle were reportedly being smuggled from Mangaldai and Baihata in Assam.

In November 2020, Hailakandi police in Assam had rescued seven endangered species of black monkeys or apes from inside a truck during a naka checking at Jamira police chowki. The monkeys were hidden in four boxes inside a truck bearing registration number NL 01 AD 4984, while it was coming from Mizoram and en route to Meghalaya. The monkeys were later handed over to the forest department after a medical check-up by the veterinary doctor. The police arrested the driver of the truck, identified as Rakesh Deb and another person accompanying him. The two were later interrogated by the police. The rescued animals were sent to the Guwahati Zoo, the Hailakandi Forest Department said.

In a similar incident, forest officials in Cachar, Assam, rescued 13 exotic animals, caged in three boxes, in a tea garden in the wee hours of the morning on October 19. It is worth noting that in the past few weeks, there has been a rise in the number of rare and endangered species of animals being smuggled into India and sold in the international market.