Interpol today announced the capture of some 30,000 live animals (including 6,660 birds, 2,040 turtles and 1,150 reptiles), as well as the identification of 1,100 suspects as part of a global operation against species trafficking in which 134 countries participated.
In collaboration with the World Customs Organization (WCO), the international police agency asked Operation Thunder 2025 to launch a novena of this type, carried out between September 15 and October 15 and which allowed a record level of declassifications, which is mainly explained by the high demand for exotic animals.
Concretely, more than 30 tonnes of species in danger of extinction have been preserved according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, in English). Thus, tens of thousands of cubic meters of illegally cut wood were confiscated, including more than 32,000 cubic meters and 14,000 pieces.
A record 5.8 tonnes of wild animal meat (bushmeat) was needed globally. Kenia ate 400 kilos of giraffe meat. Among the most geographically significant measures, Brazilian authorities dismantled a network that identified 145 suspects and rescued more than 200 rescued animals.
In this operation, tough measures were imposed against an international network trafficking golden lion tits (a type of small lion, famous for its shiny and distinctive golden or red colored coat that resembles lion hair).
As a result, Mexican authorities have trapped a number of animals in Sinaloa state, including tigers, as well as firearms items often associated with organized crime activities.
In the Dominican Republic, authorities arrested 90 people for crimes related to this illegal act, while in Tanzania, more than 100 pigeons and pieces of ivory worth US$415,000 and more than 140 hippopotamus teeth worth US$40,000 were discovered.
In Qatar, an individual was arrested while trying to sell an endangered primate for $14,000 on social media.
In the organization’s statement, Interpol Secretary General, Brazilian Valdecy Urquiza, stressed that the operation reveals the sophistication of the criminal networks that conduct illegal trade and warns that “these networks are increasingly interconnected with other criminal areas, such as drug trafficking and human exploitation.”
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