Chennai: Customs authorities at the Chennai International Airport here thwarted two attempts to smuggle wild animals from Thailand in two days, an official said here on Tuesday.
“Acting on specific information received, the authorities on Sunday intercepted a passenger, who arrived here from Bangkok, and recovered an albino porcupine and a white-lipped red chested tamarin (monkey) from his baggage,” said the press release from the customs department.
Another incident took place on Monday, where the authorities rescued a leucistic sugar glider that was concealed in a container. The container was also placed inside the baggage of a passenger, also from Bangkok.
In both cases, the passengers informed the authorities that some unknown people had given them the bags asking them to hand them over to a person who would be waiting outside the airport. On the advice of Animal Quarantine officials, the animals were sent back to Thailand, the press release said.
