Mumbai: A Chennai-based man was caught trafficking five baby Siamang gibbon primates after he was found carrying them in his hand bag on his arrival at the Mumbai international airport from Malaysia, officials said on Wednesday.
The action was taken after the passenger, Abdul Rahman Ahamed, arrived on Tuesday. Of the five gibbons, three had already died, while two others were in a critical condition, they said.
Siamang gibbon is an endangered arboreal primate native to the forests of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
"The Custsoms department seized five Siamang gibbons from the passenger after he landed at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from Kuala Lumpur. Ahamed was caught while trying to smuggle the five primates in his hand bag. While three of the five gibbons were found dead, the remaining two are in a very critical state," an official said.
These gibbons were handed over to a city-based wildlife expert team from RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare) for immediate medical care, upkeep and stabilisation in consultation with the state Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), he said.
These animals will be sent back to their country of origin once they become stable and are fit as per the provisions of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the official said.
Siamang gibbon, a critically endangered species, is listed in appendix one of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and Schedule Four of the newly-amended Wild Life (Protection) Act.
The accused has been arrested under relevant sections of the Customs Act as well as the Wildlife (Protection) Act, the official said, adding that further investigation was underway.