Security forces on Saturday rescued a number of endangered wild animals from a truck that was intercepted along the Assam-West Bengal border.
The truck was intercepted at Joraimore check gate in Bakshirhat, a neighbourhood in the Tufanganj II CD block in the Tufanganj subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the state of West Bengal.
Upon inspection, several species of endangered animals were recovered from the back of the truck.
According to sources, the truck was on its way to Maharashtra from Guwahati, and it has come to fore that the animals were being smuggled out of the state.
The authorities found six Australian bear cats and six Gibon Monks from the truck.
Following the discovery, the authorities immediately arrested three individuals who were associated with the alleged smuggling operation. While one of the arrestee is from Kerala, the other two hails from Maharashtra.
The seized animals have been taken into custody and are being taken care of by animal welfare organizations.
It is pertinent to mention that this was not a one off incident. The smuggling of exotic and endangered wild animals through Assam has been a significant problem in recent times, and the authorities have been trying to curb it through strict enforcement measures.
Earlier, on March 28, 44 illegally transported cattle were recovered from Jorabat.
The police intercepted two trucks loaded with cattle on NH-37. Two smugglers identified as Abul Kalam and Abdul Hamid, were arrested.
Sources revealed that the cattle were being smuggled from Mangaldai and Baihata in Assam.
