Customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport detained a Canadian national after discovering a severed crocodile head in his luggage. The incident occurred late on January 5 at Terminal 3, drawing attention due to the passenger’s unusual and suspicious behavior.
Crocodile are Protected species
Security personnel questioned him immediately and the traveler admitted to purchasing the crocodile head as a souvenir during his trip to Thailand. However, he failed to produce the mandatory permits required for transporting wildlife products. Customs officials alerted the state forest and wildlife department to examine the specimen.
The traveler, while insisting that he neither hunted nor killed the crocodile, failed to produce a special permit needed to transport such wildlife products.
Wildlife Protection Act Violations
Airport officials alerted the state forest and wildlife department to identify the specimen. Deputy Range Officer Rajesh Tandon’s team identified the item as the head of a crocodile. Crocodiles are protected species under India’s Wildlife Protection Act. Officials confirmed that lab tests would be conducted to determine the exact species.
The forest department has taken custody of the crocodile head which is a clear violation of wildlife regulations. Customs officials are initiating strict legal action against the traveler under the Wildlife Protection Act. Transporting wildlife products without proper documentation is a punishable offense in India.
Officials emphasized that ignorance of wildlife laws does not exempt individuals from penalties.
Similar Cases Raise Concerns
This incident follows a similar case in August last year when another Canadian national attempted to smuggle unidentified animal horns out of India. She claimed that she found those horns during a trek in Ladakh and she wanted to keep them with her as a souvenir. Authorities have noted an uptick in cases involving the illegal transport of wildlife products.
