Worldwide Smuggling Crackdown Rescues Endangered Wildlife

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Big cats, apes, reptiles and elephant tusks were just some of the discoveries made by authorities as part of an ongoing effort to squash wildlife trafficking across the globe. Police and customs officials made the announcement Wednesday, calling last month's crackdown the most widespread wildlife crime raid ever.

The effort, coordinated by the World Customs Organization and Interpol, resulted in the seizure of nearly 2,000 animals and plants, and covered 109 countries over the month of June. "Operation Thunderball," which operated out of Singapore, led to the arrest of nearly 600 suspects.

"Wildlife crime not only strips our environment of its resources, it also has an impact through the associated violence, money laundering and fraud," Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said in a statement.

The rescue mission underlined the continuing trend in online trade. With the help of local authorities and wildlife experts, the operation targeted "transnational crime networks profiting from illicit activities" by concentrating on trafficking routes and crime hotspots. This is the third in a series of large-scale crackdowns. Previous operations involved fewer than 100 countries.

The illegal wildlife traffickers make hundreds of millions of dollars, and that's one of the main reasons why some animals are pushed toward extinction. Wildlife such as elephants are poached for their ivory, tigers are rounded up for their skins and bones, and rhinos are captured for their tusks which are used in traditional medicine.

This year's operation discovered 23 apes, 30 big cats, 440 pieces of elephant tusks, five rhino horns, more than 4,000 birds and nearly 10,000 turtles and tortoises, among others species.

Hide caption Many seized species die during transportation, such as these Zebra fish - Hypancistrus Zebra - seized by Brazil's Federal Police airport officers. Previous Next Interpol

Hide caption The crackdown saw the seizure of hundreds of different species of bird, including these hatchling Melopsittacus undulatus parokeets uncovered by Ecuador's Environmental Police during operations. Previous Next Interpol

Hide caption There was an interception of nearly 10,000 turtles and tortoises globally, including this Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina) intercepted by Ecuador's Environmental Police during checkpoint inspections in Santo Domingo de los Tsachilas. Previous Next Interpol

Hide caption Elephant tusks (Oloxodanta Africana) were seized by Kenya Wildlife Service during field patrols carried out as part of Operation Thunderball. Previous Next Interpol

Hide caption The operation rescued 23 live primates, including this infant Langur (Trachypithecus Poliocephalus) being smuggled from Bangladesh and intercepted in India by India Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Bengal Forest Department during a road inspection. Previous Next Interpol 1 of 5 i View slideshow

The Wildlife Conservation Society issued a statement applauding the operation for its seizures and arrests while emphasizing that this is only a beginning.

"Governments now must follow up with strong, meaningful prosecutions. In particular, the criminals running these networks must feel the full weight of the law, including deterrent penalties and jail sentences," the statement read.

The World Customs Organization and Interpol said they will ensure that wildlife crime trafficking is properly addressed from "detection to arrest, investigation and prosecution."

Overall officials said they noticed slight declines in the seizures of certain species, potentially signaling that "continued enforcement efforts are bearing fruit, and that compliance levels are improving."