The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) announced that it had a very successful anti-wildlife trafficking effort last year. In fact, it was the “largest-ever operation against illegal trafficking.” The global effort, Operation Thunder 2024, resulted in the seizure of nearly 20,000 live animals, all endangered or protected species, from trafficking networks around the world.
Additionally, INTERPOL says authorities arrested 365 suspects and identified six transnational criminal networks suspected of trafficking animals and plants protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). “Such species are illegally trafficked to meet specific market demands, whether for food, perceived medicinal benefits, ‘luxury’ and collector items or as pets and competition animals,” INTERPOL states in a press release.
The live animals included big cats, birds, pangolins, primates, and reptiles. After seizure from their illegal handlers, INTERPOL says experts assess the animals’ health, take DNA samples to help determine where they came from, and then await repatriation or rehabilitation.
Watch INTERPOL’s Instagram Reel about the Operation Thunder busts here: