A victory in the fight against wildlife trafficking unfolded this December as 47 lemurs and 155 radiated tortoises were returned to their native Madagascar. The animals – all endangered or vulnerable species – included 16 ring-tailed lemurs, 31 brown lemurs and 155 radiated tortoises.
An additional 758 spider tortoises, a critically endangered species, are expected to also be repatriated in another flight later this month.
The wildlife had all been illegally trafficked from Madagascar and transported across multiple countries. After being shipped to Indonesia, the animals were moved across the Malacca Strait by speed boat and driven to Thailand by car. Thai border officials then intercepted the smuggled shipment, paving the way for the species’ eventual repatriation.
The operation was only made possible thanks to a coordinated effort involving governments, international partners, civil society and the private sector, underscoring the importance of collaboration in combating wildlife trafficking and protecting endangered species.
After a leopard cub supplier was arrested in Thailand, the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) of the Royal Thai Police - with support from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the non-governmental organization Wildlife Justice Commission - established a joint task force to investigate the arrested person’s criminal network. The NED task force tracked the travel of people in the criminal network to Madagascar, intelligence which eventually led to the seized shipment.
UNODC also connected Malagasy and Hong Kong Customs authorities with Thai investigators and supported the Mutual Legal Assistance request process, making the repatriation possible. INTERPOL provided significant operation support to law enforcement in Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
After both Thailand and Madagascar had agreed to a repatriation, however, there was still a question of how the animals’ return would be financed. This is often a concern and a hindrance for the repatriation of seized wildlife. UNODC reached out to the United for Wildlife programme under the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, with whom it has a partnership to combat the illegal wildlife trade, to explore the possibility of free transport. As a result, Qatar Airways offered to fly the animals free of charge from Bangkok to Johannesburg, South Africa, while Airlink provided complimentary transportation from Johannesburg to Antananarivo, Madagascar.
UNODC also provided advisory services to Thailand authorities to include a money-laundering charge into the ongoing investigation.
"This operation is a powerful example of what can be achieved through dedicated international cooperation and highlights the collective responsibility we share in tackling transnational environmental crimes and protecting our planet’s biodiversity,” said Hanny Cueva-Beteta, Chief of the Crimes that Affect the Environment Team at UNODC.
The animals all landed safely at the Antananarivo airport, where veterinarians performed health check-ups to ensure their well-being after the flight. The animals are now being transferred to different rehabilitation facilities inside of natural reserves. After a quarantine, they will undergo a rehabilitation process to prepare them for an eventual release into their natural habitats.
Nevertheless, much more work is needed to address wildlife trafficking on a larger scale. UNODC’s latest Wildlife Crime Report shows an illegal trade in 162 countries and territories affecting around 4,000 plant and animal species. Addressing the illegal wildlife trade effectively requires similar interventions at both the demand and supply side of the trafficking chain, efforts to reduce criminal incentives and profits and additional investments in monitoring.
