Smuggled cub to soon return to Thailand
TNN | Apr 7, 2019, 06:11 IST
The female leopard was a mere 50 days old when it was smuggled to Chennai in February. Thai authorities agreed... Read MoreCHENNAI: Wildlife Crime Control Bureau authorities said work was on to shift the smuggled leopard cub back home to Thailand. Officials said they were working with Thai officials to facilitate the journey.
Deputy director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (Southern Region) T Uma told TOI that wildlife officials in Thailand had agreed to take the cub back.
The officials had sought some details from their Chennai counterparts and on receipt of the information, Thai authorities will send a wildlife official and a veterinarian to take the cub back home, she said. Uma is also the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) authority for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The female leopard was a mere 50 days old when it was smuggled to Chennai in February. The cub was seized by Chennai airport customs officials from the bag of a 45-year-old passenger.
Asked why the cub was not returned to Thailand immediately, Uma said the leopard's health status posed a concern. When veterinarians checked the cub's health condition, they found that the cub was stressed.
"The cub was in need of immediate care so it was detained. Now, the animal is doing fine. Once formalities with CITES authorities from Thailand is complete, the cub will be sent back," the official said.
Asked about any threat of diseases spreading from an exotic species among local population, Uma said such a threat is present only when the animal is exhibited in the zoo or released to the wild.
In this case, the cub was quarantined with no visitors. There is no question of any threat from this cub, she said.
Uma added that there was no need for a DNA test for the cub since Thai authorities have confirmed that the cub originated from the southeast Asian country.
Since the leopard is an endangered animal, CITES authorities here are giving the cub the highest protection cover, she said.
A fortnight ago, customs officials seized a group of exotic reptiles, which were from Thailand. Unlike the leopard cub, the reptiles were returned to Thailand the same day.
Deputy director of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (Southern Region) T Uma told TOI that wildlife officials in Thailand had agreed to take the cub back.
The officials had sought some details from their Chennai counterparts and on receipt of the information, Thai authorities will send a wildlife official and a veterinarian to take the cub back home, she said. Uma is also the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) authority for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The female leopard was a mere 50 days old when it was smuggled to Chennai in February. The cub was seized by Chennai airport customs officials from the bag of a 45-year-old passenger.
Asked why the cub was not returned to Thailand immediately, Uma said the leopard's health status posed a concern. When veterinarians checked the cub's health condition, they found that the cub was stressed.
"The cub was in need of immediate care so it was detained. Now, the animal is doing fine. Once formalities with CITES authorities from Thailand is complete, the cub will be sent back," the official said.
Asked about any threat of diseases spreading from an exotic species among local population, Uma said such a threat is present only when the animal is exhibited in the zoo or released to the wild.
In this case, the cub was quarantined with no visitors. There is no question of any threat from this cub, she said.
Uma added that there was no need for a DNA test for the cub since Thai authorities have confirmed that the cub originated from the southeast Asian country.
Since the leopard is an endangered animal, CITES authorities here are giving the cub the highest protection cover, she said.
A fortnight ago, customs officials seized a group of exotic reptiles, which were from Thailand. Unlike the leopard cub, the reptiles were returned to Thailand the same day.
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