Guwahati, Sep 8: Assam is slowly but surely becoming a key transit route for ‘international’ wildlife smuggling.
In a joint operation, police along with the forest department seized several rare and exotic wild animals from two Delhi-registered vehicles at Rangia in Kamrup district on Thursday.
According to police sources, the wildlife comprised about 19 monkeys (various species), 18 turtles, two parrots and two kangaroos that were being carried in crates that were recovered from the vehicles.
They were reportedly being smuggled through the Myanmar border in Mizoram.
Two persons were detained in connection with the wildlife recovery.
“The animals were being transported to north India. The drivers of the two vehicles (with army stickers pasted on them) have been detained,” a police official said.
In July this year, exotic wildlife, including a kangaroo and parrots, smuggled from Mizoram were recovered in Cachar district.
In April, Assam forest department personnel intercepted a vehicle at Hajo in Kamrup district and rescued five “exotic” species of monkeys and a wallaby.
Earlier, in the same month, five chimpanzees, brought from Manipur by two persons, were rescued from a Guwahati-bound vehicle in Karbi Anglong district.
