Tiruchi Airport Customs Seize 45 Live Exotic Animals; Two Air Passengers Arrested

Customs officials at Tiruchi International Airport arrested two air passengers on Monday and seized 45 live exotic animals that were being carried in their travel bags, officials said.

The seized animals comprised 23 corn snakes, 16 ball pythons, five black-and-white degus and a snow iguana. The two passengers, a man and a woman, had arrived at the airport from Bangkok via Colombo on a SriLankan Airlines flight. Their bags were scanned during a routine inspection, and officials found the animals concealed inside.

The two were arrested under the Customs Act, 1962. The seized animals were handed over to the Forest Department for further action.

District Forest Officer S. Krithiga said arrangements were under way to send the animals back to Colombo, which has been identified as their place of origin.

The seizure highlights a persistent challenge for Indian airports: the smuggling of live wildlife through passenger baggage, often routed through multiple transit points to avoid detection. Exotic species such as corn snakes and ball pythons, both native to North America, are popular in the pet trade, and demand for them in some markets has made them a recurring item in such seizures.

India regulates the import and possession of exotic wildlife under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which was amended in 2022 to bring species listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) under domestic law. Transporting live animals without the required permits is a punishable offence, and Customs officials are empowered to seize such consignments at ports of entry.

For the animals themselves, the journey is often hazardous. Snakes and small mammals packed into luggage face stress, dehydration and a lack of ventilation over several hours of travel. Where animals survive, the process of returning them to their country of origin involves coordination between the Forest Department, wildlife authorities and airlines, and can take time.

Officials did not disclose the identity of the two passengers or say whether they had been remanded. They also did not indicate whether the consignment was linked to a larger trafficking network, and said investigations were continuing.

The case adds to a series of wildlife seizures at Indian airports in recent years, where sniffer dogs and improved baggage scanning have helped officials detect concealed consignments. Conservation groups have long argued that enforcement at exit and entry points needs to be matched by stronger checks on the domestic pet trade, where demand for exotic species is growing.

For now, the 45 animals are in the custody of the Forest Department, awaiting the paperwork and logistics needed to send them home.