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Don’t let poachers sneak through

February 09, 2026 6 min read Environment & Ecology GS III (Biodiversity & Conservation Environmental Legislation)
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What Happened

  • An editorial has raised concerns that the Forest Department's amnesty scheme for declaring wildlife possession risks creating a legal pathway for poachers and wildlife smugglers to legitimise illegally obtained specimens.
  • The Voluntary Disclosure Scheme, issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in June 2020, allowed individuals to declare possession of exotic live species without documentation requirements within a specified window (extended to March 2021).
  • Over 30,000 declarations were filed under the scheme, but enforcement agencies have flagged systematic exploitation by smuggling networks that use the "no questions asked" framework to launder illegally trafficked animals.
  • In a notable case at Lailapur on the Assam-Mizoram border (July 2020), authorities intercepted a consignment of red kangaroos, aldabra tortoises, blue macaws, and capuchin monkeys; the accused subsequently invoked the amnesty scheme to claim legal custody.
  • The editorial argues that amnesty schemes must incorporate robust verification mechanisms and penal provisions to prevent wildlife criminals from converting contraband into legally held property.

Static Topic Bridges

Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (WLPA) is the primary legislation governing wildlife conservation in India. It prohibits hunting, trade, and possession of specified species, establishes protected areas, and creates enforcement mechanisms. The Act has been amended multiple times, most significantly by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, which came into force on 1 April 2023.

  • The 2022 Amendment reorganised the schedule structure from six schedules to four: Schedule I (highest protection species), Schedule II (lesser protection species), Schedule III (protected plants), Schedule IV (CITES-listed specimens)
  • Section 9 prohibits hunting of wild animals listed in Schedules I and II
  • Section 39 declares all hunted wildlife as government property
  • Section 49B establishes the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
  • Section 51 prescribes penalties: minimum fine of Rs 25,000 and imprisonment up to 7 years for Schedule I offences
  • Section 51A imposes stringent bail conditions for offences involving Schedule I species
  • The 2022 Amendment added Chapter VB for regulation of international trade in CITES-listed species, closing a long-standing gap where exotic species that entered Indian territory were not regulated under domestic law
  • Under the amended Act, if any person possesses a CITES-listed species, the burden of proving legal acquisition falls on the possessor

Connection to this news: The editorial's central concern is that amnesty schemes can undermine the WLPA's prohibition framework. Before the 2022 Amendment, exotic species fell outside the WLPA's scope entirely, creating a legal vacuum that smugglers exploited via the voluntary disclosure route. While the 2022 Amendment closes this gap by incorporating CITES species into Schedule IV, the effectiveness depends on whether amnesty windows are designed with adequate verification requirements and penal provisions.

CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species)

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), signed in 1973 and in force since 1975, is an international agreement between 184 parties (including India) that regulates cross-border trade in specimens of wild animals and plants to ensure it does not threaten species survival. India ratified CITES in 1976.

  • Appendix I: species threatened with extinction; commercial trade prohibited (approximately 1,082 species)
  • Appendix II: species not necessarily threatened but where trade must be controlled (approximately 34,600 species)
  • Appendix III: species protected in at least one country that has asked other parties for assistance in controlling trade (approximately 300 species)
  • CITES Management Authority in India: MoEFCC; Scientific Authority: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun
  • India's Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 incorporated all three CITES appendices into Schedule IV, creating domestic legal backing for CITES enforcement
  • The WCCB's Regional Deputy Directors serve as CITES Assistant Management Authorities, assisting Customs in inspecting flora and fauna consignments

Connection to this news: The amnesty scheme's "no documentation required" approach directly conflicted with India's CITES obligations, which mandate penalisation of illegal trade and confiscation of illegally traded specimens. The Lailapur case illustrated how smugglers of CITES-listed species (blue macaws, aldabra tortoises) attempted to use the domestic amnesty window to avoid prosecution, exploiting the disconnect between international commitments and domestic enforcement frameworks.

Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)

The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is a statutory multi-disciplinary body established under Section 49B of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. It became operational in 2008 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the mandate to combat organised wildlife crime in India.

  • Established: constituted on 6 June 2007, operational from 2008
  • Headquarters: New Delhi; operates through regional offices, sub-regional offices, and border units
  • Functions: intelligence collection and dissemination on organised wildlife crime; inter-state and cross-border coordination; maintaining a centralised wildlife crime database
  • Implements India's obligations under CITES, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), and the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
  • Conducts operations such as Operation Thunderball (with INTERPOL), Operation Save Kurma (turtle trafficking), and Operation Lesknow (lesser-known wildlife species)
  • Coordinates with Customs, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), state Forest Departments, and international agencies including INTERPOL and the World Customs Organization

Connection to this news: The WCCB has itself acknowledged that the amnesty window instigated increased smuggling of exotic animals through India's porous northeastern borders. The bureau faces the challenge of distinguishing between genuine pre-existing pet owners seeking regularisation and criminal networks exploiting the scheme. Effective amnesty design requires close coordination between the WCCB, Customs authorities, and state Forest Departments to verify claims and prosecute fraudulent declarations.

Wildlife Trade and Trafficking in India

India is both a source and transit country for illegal wildlife trade, which is estimated to be the fourth largest global illegal trade (after drugs, counterfeiting, and human trafficking). Wildlife trafficking operates through organised criminal networks that exploit legal trade channels, porous borders, and enforcement gaps.

  • India's illegal wildlife trade involves both native species (tigers, leopards, pangolins, red sanders, star tortoises, shahtoosh from Tibetan antelope) and exotic species (macaws, tortoises, kangaroos, reptiles)
  • The northeastern border (particularly Assam-Mizoram-Myanmar corridor) is a major smuggling route for exotic species entering India from Southeast Asia
  • National Wildlife Crime database maintained by WCCB for tracking and analysis
  • Key legislative tools: WLPA 1972 (as amended 2022), Customs Act 1962, Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act 1992, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960
  • India is a member of the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online (with TRAFFIC, WWF, and technology companies)
  • The 2022 WLPA Amendment addresses the exotic species gap by making CITES violations domestically prosecutable for the first time

Connection to this news: The amnesty scheme controversy illustrates a recurring tension in wildlife enforcement: balancing incentives for voluntary compliance against the risk of legitimising criminal activity. The Lailapur interception demonstrated that sophisticated smuggling networks can rapidly adapt to exploit policy instruments, and that amnesty schemes without penal provisions and documentation requirements effectively create laundering windows for trafficking operations.

Key Facts & Data

  • Voluntary Disclosure Scheme: issued June 2020 by MoEFCC; deadline extended to 15 March 2021; over 30,000 declarations filed
  • Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: primary wildlife legislation; amended 2022 (effective 1 April 2023); reorganised from 6 to 4 schedules
  • Schedule IV (new under 2022 Amendment): incorporates all three CITES appendices into domestic law
  • CITES: 184 parties including India (ratified 1976); Appendix I (~1,082 species), Appendix II (~34,600 species), Appendix III (~300 species)
  • WCCB: statutory body under Section 49B of WLPA; operational since 2008; headquarters in New Delhi
  • Lailapur case (July 2020): red kangaroo, aldabra tortoises, blue macaws, capuchin monkeys intercepted on NH-54 at Assam-Mizoram border
  • Before the 2022 Amendment, exotic species not native to India fell outside WLPA jurisdiction, creating a critical enforcement gap
  • Under the 2022 Amendment, burden of proving legal acquisition of CITES-listed species falls on the possessor
  • India is among the 17 megadiverse countries; wildlife trafficking is estimated as the fourth-largest global illegal trade