Held from Sept. 15-Oct. 15 this year, the operation involved law enforcement and wildlife authorities from 134 countries. They conducted 4,640 seizures and identified 1,100 suspects. Now in its ninth year, Operation Thunder seized more than 30 metric tons of parts belonging to species listed under CITES, the global wildlife trade agreement.<\/p>\n
The operation exposes the \u201csophistication and scale of the criminal networks\u201d involved in the illegal wildlife trade, Interpol secretary-general Valdecy Urquiza said in a press release<\/a>. Often, these networks are also involved in drug, human and weapons trafficking. \u201cThese syndicates target vulnerable species, undermine the rule of law and endanger communities worldwide,\u201d Urquiza said.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s seizure of 30,000 live animals is an all-time high for the operation and indicates rising demand for exotic pets. Authorities intercepted nearly 10,500 butterflies, spiders and insects \u2014 many protected under CITES \u2014 along with more than 6,000 birds, some 2,000 turtles and 1,150 reptiles. At CITES\u2019s recent summit in Uzbekistan, some reptiles<\/a>, sloths,<\/a> and turtles<\/a> traded as exotic pets were given greater protection. Separately, the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority, passed a motion<\/a> recognizing the need to address the soaring illegal wildlife trade to meet demand for pets.<\/p>\n The operation also exposed the trade in primates and their body parts. Authorities seized more than 200 live primates, along with some 1,560 primate parts. The vast majority were seized in North America, including a shipment with more than 1,300 primate bones, skulls and other derivatives. In Brazil, authorities dismantled a trafficking network involved in smuggling golden lion tamarins<\/a> (Leontopithecus rosalia), an endangered monkey.<\/p>\n The operation also revealed a growing illicit trade in bushmeat. Roughly 5.8 metric tons of primate, giraffe, zebra and antelope meat were seized worldwide, with a notable increase in cases from Africa into Europe.<\/p>\n Authorities also confiscated more than 245 metric tons of protected marine wildlife, including 4,000 pieces of shark fins.<\/p>\n Plant seizures also reached a record high, with more than 10 metric tons of live plants and plant derivatives confiscated, along with more than 32,000 cubic meters (1.13 million cubic feet) of illegal timber and 14,000 timber pieces.<\/p>\n Insights from Operation Thunder will help authorities map global criminal networks, anticipate emerging criminal tactics and disrupt illicit supply chains involved in the illegal wildlife trade, Interpol said.<\/p>\n Banner image: Primates seized in Thailand as part of Operation Thunder. Image courtesy of Interpol.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n