Endangered Silvery Gibbons Seized at Mumbai Airport: One Dead in Wildlife Trafficking Attempt

Two silvery gibbons were discovered hidden in a basket within a trolley bag at Mumbai Airport.

Mumbai:

Officials at Mumbai Customs announced on Thursday that they had confiscated two endangered silvery gibbons from a passenger arriving from Bangkok at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). Tragically, one of the gibbons was already deceased.

An official stated that the passenger was intercepted on Wednesday following specific intelligence information.

"Upon examining the baggage, we discovered two gibbons—one approximately two months old and the other about four months old—hidden inside a basket within a trolley bag. The passenger was subsequently arrested under both the Customs Act and the Wildlife (Protection) Act," the official explained.

The silvery gibbon is indigenous to Indonesia's Java island and is classified as "endangered" by the IUCN, with fewer than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild.

"Mammals face a higher mortality rate during air transportation. Even if they survive the journey, and despite potential high-quality care from the end customer, these exotic animals have very low survival rates outside their natural habitats," the official further noted.

In a separate operation, Customs authorities arrested another passenger arriving from Bangkok who was carrying 7.970 kg of suspected hydroponic marijuana valued at Rs 7.97 crore. The narcotic substance was concealed within the passenger's checked luggage.