The 32-year-old man, whose name was withheld by authorities, was en route to Canada from the Indian capital when security personnel stopped him during a routine check at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL).
“During the inspection, a skull with sharp teeth, resembling that of a baby crocodile, weighing approximately 777 grams, was found wrapped in a cream-colored cloth,” Delhi Customs disclosed in a statement on Thursday.
The statement indicated that the skull belonged to a species protected under the country’s Wildlife Protection Act and that the man had violated both this law and the Customs Act. The skull was subsequently transferred to the Department of Forests and Wildlife for laboratory analysis, according to customs officials.
“This incident underscores a serious breach of wildlife and customs regulations. Cooperation between Customs and Forest Departments is essential to prevent the smuggling of such protected wildlife items,” Delhi Customs emphasized.
A 2022 report by TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organization dedicated to monitoring the wildlife trade, revealed that India’s burgeoning aviation sector is accompanied by a rise in “the exploitation of airports for wildlife smuggling” both within India and throughout the region.
Between 2011 and 2020, there were 141 reported incidents of wildlife seizures at airports across India, encompassing 146 animal species. Reptiles – including crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and tortoises – constituted the most frequently encountered group during that period, accounting for 46% of those seizures.
“India ranks among the top ten countries in terms of utilizing the airline industry for wildlife trafficking,” stated Atul Bagai, then-Head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in India, following the report’s publication. “This is an unwelcome distinction.”
The Indian government has endeavored to suppress the trafficking of wild animals under its Wildlife Protection Act and as a signatory to CITES, the preeminent international legislative body on wildlife trade.
The Canadian traveler is not the first individual to attempt to transport animals or animal parts in carry-on luggage.
Last year, the TSA discovered a four-foot-long live boa constrictor in a passenger’s bag at Florida’s Tampa Airport (TPA), prompting a series of snake-related puns on Instagram.
“Our officers … didn’t find this hyssssssterical!,” the agency quipped. “We really have no adder-ation for discovering any pet going through an X-ray machine.”
