Two endangered silvery gibbons were found inside a basket in a passenger’s bag at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, on October 30
A passenger was arrested after he landed in India with two endangered apes hidden inside his bags.
Customs officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai were stunned to find two endangered silvery gibbons inside a basket in a passenger’s bag on October 30. Video taken inside the airport shows officials holding one of the two animals, which are thought to be aged around two months and four months.
The other gibbon had sadly passed away. An Indian customs official said: “During the search, we found two gibbons. One approximately two months old and the other around four months old, concealed within a basket placed inside a trolley bag.”
READ MORE: Customs officials find two roasted ANTELOPES in passenger’s bag as bizarre ‘snack’
The rare primates, which are native to forests in Indonesia, are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. A preliminary investigation by Indian authorities has revealed the passenger, described as a foreign national, had travelled from Malaysia to Thailand before boarding a flight to India.
Authorities believe a member of an international smuggling network handed over the bag containing the gibbons in Thailand, instructing the passenger to deliver it upon arrival in India. The syndicate is suspected to have arranged the passenger’s travel route and logistics.
Officials are now working to identify other people involved in the smuggling operation. According to the IUCN, recent studies suggest there is a “high probability” the silvery gibbon, scientific name Hylobates moloch, could be extinct within a century.
According to Chester Zoo, the apes usually stay with their family for eight years, and live for around 35 years. They can live for up to 50 years with human care.
Back in 2022, custom officials in Munich, Germany, were left horrified when they came across two roasted whole antelopes inside a passenger’s luggage, as she claimed she needed them as a “snack”. The woman, from Ghana, had her bag x-rayed at the airport, with officials finding the bodies of the animals crushed so they would fit inside the bag. Gruesome photos taken of the antelopes showed one of their legs crushed and twisted, as well as its head pulled back.
The passenger explained to customs that antelopes are considered a delicacy in her country and claimed that she had packed the animals as a snack for the long journey. But due to the animal health regulations, custom officers were required to confiscate the antelopes for immediate destruction. A spokesperson for the Customs Headquarters in Munich Thomas Meister said in a statement: “Such a seizure is something extraordinary.”
