Red panda, lizards and exotic birds among 87 creatures in luggage of 6 Indian travellers

Six Indian nationals have been arrested at Suvarnabhumi airport on charges of attempting to smuggle 87 wild animals, among them a red panda, out of the country.

All of the animals were on the protected list of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites).

The discovery was made after officers noticed irregularities in some luggage X-ray results on a Thai Airways International flight to Mumbai, said Athapol Charoenshunsa, director-general of the Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).

He was alerted by Pakhaphong Phathong, chief of the department’s wildlife checkpoint at the airport.

Security officers said that eight bags, owned by six Indian passengers, contained a range of wildlife including reptiles and mammals.

The travellers were identified as Suresh Kumar Baghel, 51; Iyer Raja Devendra, 33; Sagar Trilok Soni, 36; Sunny Ramesh Kumar Kochhar, 32; Nitish Thapar, 29; and Shanti Laxmansingh Negi, 56.

The seized wildlife included 29 lizards, including Black Throat Monitor lizards; 21 snakes including corn snakes and red bamboo snakes; 15 birds including bird-of-paradise and Alexandrine parrots; seven Bengal Monitor lizards; four iguanas; two red-eyed squirrels, a pair of cotton-top tamarins, two bats, a rat, a fishing cat, a red panda, a Sulawesi bear cuscus and some frogs.

The suspects were charged with smuggling wildlife, animal disease control and fishery violations, and customs avoidance.

The animals will be transferred to the department for recovery and rehabilitation, said Mr Athapol.

Black Throat Monitor lizards are among other wild animals seized from the travellers. (Photo: Customs Department)