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NEW DELHI - Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure in June. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from a passenger returning from Thailand," said a customs officer at Mumbai's airport The passenger, who arrived on June 29, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation underway". The live snakes included reptiles often sold in the pet trade, and were largely non-venomous, or with venom too weak to affect people. They included garter snakes, a rhino rat snake and a Kenyan sand boa, among others. In early June, customs officers stopped a passenger smuggling dozens of venomous vipers, also arriving from Thailand. Days later, officers stopped another traveller carrying 100 creatures, including lizards, sunbirds and tree-climbing possums. Wildlife trade monitor Traffic, which battles the smuggling of wild animals and plants, has warned of a "very troubling" trend in trafficking driven by the exotic pet trade. More than 7,000 animals, dead and alive, have been seized along the Thailand-India air route in the last three years, it said. AFP
Bhubaneswar: Nature lovers have a fresh reason to visit Nandankanan Zoological Park in Odisha's Bhubaneswar, as the famed wildlife sanctuary welcomed seven baby yellow anacondas into its reptilian fold on Sunday -- a rare and exciting addition that underscores the zoo's growing reputation as a haven for exotic species. The tiny hatchlings were born to a breeding pair of yellow anacondas brought to Nandankanan from the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai in October 2019. With these new arrivals, the zoo now proudly houses a thriving family of 14 yellow anacondas -- two adult males, two adul ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has filed a chargesheet against YouTuber Siddharth Yadav alias Elvish Yadav, his friend and singer Rahul Yadav alias Fazilpuriya apart from two others, and charged them with money laundering in an alleged wildlife crime involving protected snakes and lizards, official sources said. The prosecution complaint was filed on October 13 before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Gurugram, Haryana. The court is yet to take cognisance of the chargesheet. Yadav (28), Fazilpuriya (35), a company named Sky Digital India Pvt. Ltd. and its di ...Read More >
Jhansi: A bomb threat delayed the Durg-bound Chhattisgarh Sampark Kranti Express on Friday night, when it was halted at Virangana Laxmibai Jhansi railway station for nearly an hour. The threat turned out to be a hoax, and the train resumed its journey after a thorough inspection. According to SP, GRP, Vipul Srivastav, after the train left Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station in Delhi around 6pm on Friday, a call was recieved at the railway helpline 139, claiming that a bomb had been planted in a sleeper coach of the train. The railway control room in Lucknow started preparations for search of the ...Read More >
Guwahati: At least 42 poachers were arrested, six major rhino poaching gangs with links to illegal trade of animal parts through Myanmar were identified and nine poaching attempts were foiled under 'Operation Falcon' by the Assam Police and forest department since the operation was launched last year.CM Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a video on 'X' on Monday, hailing the success of the departments' efforts against poaching. He said the operation broke the back of poaching and illegal animal trade. He ...Read More >
MUMBAI, Oct 31 -- Indian customs officers have arrested a plane passenger after discovering two endangered gibbons stuffed inside a checked bag, the latest animals seized from smugglers at Mumbai's airport. One of the tiny apes from Indonesia was dead, while the other, in a video shared by Indian Customs, was seen cradled in the arms of an officer, softly hooting before covering its face with its arm. Customs said the passenger, who had travelled from Malaysia via Thailand, was given the rare apes by a wildlife trafficking "syndicate" for delivery in India. Officers acting on "specific inte ...Read More >
Lucknow: Enforcement Directorate's Lucknow unit filed prosecution complaint against YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT season 2 winner Elvish Yadav and three others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act before a special court in Gurgaon. Court will take cognisance of charges, after which both accused will be summoned. ED also named Chandigarh-based company Sky Digital and its owner as a co-accused in the case.Rs 1 crore assets of Elvish Yadav and his aide Fazilpuria were attached. The duo had used liv ...Read More >
Mumbai Customs officers intercepted a Thane-based woman at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for attempting to smuggle 154 exotic animals. Hidden inside plastic containers in her luggage, the haul included four baby anacondas, iguanas, bearded dragons, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and raccoons. This marks the first time in at least five years that baby anacondas, a foreign snake species, have been seized at Mumbai Airport. The seized species are protected under international law ...Read More >
Indian customs officers in Mumbai said they have stopped a plane passenger arriving from Thailand with a wriggling cargo of live snakes, the third such seizure this month. "Customs officers... foiled yet another wildlife smuggling attempt, 16 live snakes... seized from passenger returning from Thailand," said customs officers in the airport in the Indian financial hub. The passenger, who arrived on Sunday, has been arrested, the customs agency said in a statement, with "further investigation un ...Read More >
Mumbai: Drugs, gold and other expensive or illegal items are often seized from passengers during inspection at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. However, this time, customs officials seized as many as 48 poisonous snakes and 5 turtles from a passenger. Even the security guards were alarmed when it came to light that the passenger had been found with poisonous snakes. The passenger concerned had been to Thailand and had taken a flight from Bangkok on his way to India. At Mumbai's airport, customs found 48 poisonous snakes and five tur ...Read More >
Jamnagar: Global football icon Lionel Messi on Tuesday visited Vantara, wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and conservation centre founded by Anant Ambani, where he took part in traditional rituals, toured animal care facilities and interacted with conservation teams. Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami teammates Luis Suárez and Rodrigo De Paul, was accorded a traditional welcome featuring folk music, floral greetings and a ceremonial aarti. He also participated in temple rituals, offering prayers for peace and unity. During the visit, Messi toured various facilities at Vantara, including care ce ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The Border Security Force (BSF) is studying the feasibility of releasing crocodiles and snakes in the "vulnerable" riverine gaps along the India-Bangladesh international border to curb illegal infiltration and cross-frontier crimes, officials said on Monday. The plan was discussed during a meeting at the force's headquarters in Delhi on February 9. Following this, field units along the 4,096-km front were asked to provide their opinion. According to data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), about 856 km of this frontier remains unfenced, owing to difficult g ...Read More >
Chennai: Madras high court has clarified that private self-financing medical colleges are required to pay only a stipend, and not a full salary, to in-service govt doctors pursuing postgraduate or super-specialty courses under the govt quota.A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice K Surender passed the order while partly allowing a batch of appeals moved by Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College and others. They challenged a single judge's order that directed private colleges to pay salaries to in-service doctors studying in their institutions.The appeals were moved based on a GO dated ...Read More >
A young woman named Oleti Pushpa (22) was killed by her live-in partner Sheikh Shamma (22) in the Ambedkar Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, reported India Today. She was living with Sheikh for the past 6 months after she separated from her spouse. The incident took place in Siddhartha Nagar, B Savaram village of Rajolu mandal on 16th July. Shamma reportedly accused Pushpa of having affairs with other men. He forced her to engage in prostitution and frequently instigated fights with her when intoxicated. As per police, Shamma was addicted to ganja. On the fateful night, he against pressuri ...Read More >
SHILLONG, July 5: Dawn on the forested ridges of South West Khasi Hills can echo with a very different thunder from rifle fire: the low, urgent rumble of a matriarch leading her herd across the Indo-Bangladesh frontier. In these same shadows, Border Security Force (BSF) sentries often train their binoculars on infiltrators or smugglers, yet it is the sudden appearance of tusked silhouettes that now tests nerves and split-second judgment. Recognising the thin line between security duty and survival on a living corridor, the Meghalaya Forest department spent July 3 coaching the 193rd BSF Battal ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The central drugs laboratories have found 55 samples manufactured by various firms in June to be "not of standard quality", health ministry officials said on Friday. Further, state drugs testing laboratories have identified 130 drugs samples as 'not of standard quality', they said. Also Read | Chhattisgarh: 6 Bodies of Naxals Recovered in Ongoing Encounter With Security Forces in Narayanpur. According to routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of 'not of standard quality' and spurious drugs are being displayed on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisa ...Read More >
VMPL New Delhi [India], August 14: Ellenox, India's largest venture studio, is accelerating its global push in enterprise AI development. In the past year, the company has grown its headcount by 50% over the last year, bringing in senior AI talent from Amazon and Google to power its next phase of expansion. Already delivering AI transformation for Fortune 50 leaders in fintech, cloud computing, consumer social, and sports-tech, Ellenox has built systems that replace costly call centers with natural-voice AI agents and deployed end-to-end social media pipelines capable of scaling global brand ...Read More >
Surat (Gujarat) [India], August 21: KP Group, a leading name in India's renewable energy sector, is stepping up its expansion with a clear goal of reaching 10 GW capacity by 2030. With projects already underway in Gujarat, the Group is working on projects in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, supported by a strong order book and government partnerships. KP Group has signed memoranda of understanding with Gujarat, Odisha, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for over 2.6 GW of renewable projects, while exploring new opportunities in other states. The Group has already e ...Read More >
Mumbai, March 31: What began as a peaceful holiday in Thailand quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal for a couple after they discovered a venomous cobra inside their hotel room in Krabi. The shocking incident, which occurred in the early hours around 5 am, has now gone viral and raised serious concerns about safety in nature-adjacent accommodations. The incident came to light after a Facebook user, Kannuttakorn Uttaranakron, shared the chilling experience online. According to the post, the nightmare began when the guest's partner suddenly woke up in panic, screaming about a snake in the roo ...Read More >
Kolkata, India: India is considering releasing snakes and crocodiles along its frontier with Bangladesh, the Border Security Force said Wednesday, as New Delhi seeks to stave off unauthorised crossings. Senior Border Security Force officer Manoj Barnwal told AFP that "the use of reptiles" was discussed in a February meeting with the Home Ministry. "We have been asked to explore the feasibility of deploying reptiles such as snakes or crocodiles in vulnerable riverine gaps," said Barnwal, deputy inspector general of the paramilitary force based in Kolkata, near the border with Bangladesh. "Th ...Read More >
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a growing sign of increased human-snake interaction, the state has recorded 494 king cobra rescues from human-inhabited areas over the past five years. They had either strayed into homes, plantations or backyards and were rescued without harm and released back into forests. According to district-wise records from the forest department, Ernakulam reported the most rescues at 70, followed by Wayanad (68) and Kannur (61). At the bottom of the list are Alappuzha (2), Thiruvananthapuram (11) and Malappuram (17). While 148 incidents were reported in 2024, the number stood at ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: Veteran character actor, comedian, and former MLA Kota Srinivasa Rao passed away due to ill health in Hyderabad on Sunday morning. He was 83. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2015. He joined the BJP and was elected as the Vijayawada East MLA in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh in 1999. Srinivasa Rao, popularly known as Kota, began his acting career as a theatre artist. He was born on July 10, 1942, in Kankipadu village, a suburb of Vijayawada city in Andhra Pradesh. He started acting in films in 1978 with Pranam Khareedu. However, he got his major break with the character Kasa ...Read More >
The deceased was identified as Deepak Mahavar, 35, who was known in the area for saving snakes and had built a reputation as a local wildlife rescuer. In a tragic incident, a snake rescuer died after being bitten by a cobra that he was carrying around his neck after its rescue in Madhya Pradesh's Guna district, the police said on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Deepak Mahavar, 35, who was known in the area for saving snakes and had built a reputation as a local wildlife rescuer. Deep ...Read More >
Officials clarified that the idea is still at an exploratory stage and has not been implemented. The Border Security Force (BSF) has directed its field units to examine the feasibility of deploying reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles in vulnerable riverine stretches along the India-Bangladesh border to deter infiltration and criminal activity. A signal sent from the BSF headquarters on March 26 to all field units along the Bangladesh border, said the "use of reptiles is in line with Home Min ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: A snake rescuer reportedly died after being bitten by a venomous snake while performing snake tricks in public. This shocking incident took place at Bakagura village in Balangir district. The deceased has been identified as Santosh Chand of Sindheikela. According to reports, Santosh was called to catch a snake that had entered a villager's house. He successfully rescued the snake, a cobra, and was entertaining the crowd by performing various stunts with the reptile. However, during performing tricks, the poisonous snake bit him on his tongue, and the venom quickly spread through ...Read More >
Mumbai: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Customs intercepted two passengers who flew in on an Air India flight from Bangkok early on Thursday morning. The duo were caught smuggling a cargo of wild reptiles and small furry mammals in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The smugglers' luggage contained two Sumatran striped rabbits (Nesolagus netscheri), a Waigeo spotted cuscus (Spilocuscus papuensis), two Brown basilisk lizards (Basiliscus vittatus), and a green iguana. While the rabbits and the lizard are not listed in CITE ...Read More >
Pilibhit (UP), Jul 15 (PTI) A day after a farmer was killed by a tiger in Fulhar village of Pilibhit district, forest officials said on Tuesday that their team was tracking the animal and it would be captured as soon as the conditions are favourable. Dayaram, 39, was mauled to death by the tiger in his field in Bari Phulhar village, the sixth tiger attack in two months in the region. According to the forest team engaged in tracking the tiger, the animal also attempted to attack its personnel, though fortunately no serious injuries occurred. The tiger was last spotted near Auraiya village, l ...Read More >
Locals say it's an over-a-century-old tradition ShowQuick Read Summary is AI-generated, newsroom-reviewed * Hundreds gathered at Singhia Ghat in Samastipur for the Nag Panchami fair * Devotees carried snakes during rituals along the Budhi Gandak riverbank * Prayers were offered to Mata Vishhari, the local snake goddess Did our AI summary help? Let us know. Hundreds of devotees gathered at Singhia Ghat in Bihar's Samastipur this week to participate in the Nag Panchami fair, a traditional e ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a detailed chargesheet against YouTuber Elvish Yadav and singer Fazilpuria, accusing them of using protected wildlife for online fame and financial gain. According to the prosecution complaint submitted on Oct 13 to a special court in the city, Elvish (28) and Fazilpuria (35) allegedly featured protected snakes and an iguana in their viral videos, violating the Wildlife Protection Act. The ED claimed that Elvish earned Rs 84,000 from a 2023 video showing these animals, while Fazilpuria was charged for producing the music video '32 Bore', whic ...Read More >
New Delhi, Apr 6: The Border Security Force (BSF) is studying the feasibility of releasing crocodiles and snakes in the "vulnerable" riverine gaps along the India-Bangladesh international border to curb illegal infiltration and cross-frontier crimes. The plan was discussed during a meeting at the force's headquarters in Delhi on February 9. Following this, field units along the 4,096-km front were asked to provide their opinion, officials said on Monday. According to data provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), about 856 km of this frontier remains unfenced, owing to difficult geogra ...Read More >
KOLKATA -- India is considering releasing snakes and crocodiles along its frontier with Bangladesh, the Border Security Force said Wednesday, as New Delhi seeks to stave off unauthorized crossings. Bangladesh is almost entirely encircled by India and the border stretches for more than 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles), large parts of which are unfenced across delta regions where Himalayan rivers wind toward the sea. Senior Border Security Force officer Manoj Barnwal told AFP that "the use of reptiles" was discussed in a February meeting with the Home Ministry. READ: India to fence entire borde ...Read More >