November 1994: 1,366 skins (tiger, snow leopard, hangul) seized in Jammu and Kashmir.
The exact figures regarding the clandestine trade in endangered species are not documented. The stray seizures provide a clue to the magnitude of the market.
November 1994: 1,366 skins (tiger, snow leopard, hangul) seized in Jammu and Kashmir.
Between 1970 and 1976 India exported nearly 13 million birds. In April 1994, 1,320 birds were seized in Delhi. Peregrine falcons can command a price up to $10,000 in Dubai. Many are smuggled from India.
India alone provided 50,000 live Indian pythons for illegal trade between 1977 and 1983. Most of these ended up in the US selling for $500 each. In Europe they sell for as much as $2,000.
In 1993, 500 star tortoises were seized in Kutch. They fetch $400 in the US.
Shahtoosh, wool fleeced from the Tibetan antelope and usually used to make shawls, is a lucrative business. About 200 kg was seized in Delhi in 1993-94. And in the last year dozens of shahtoosh shawls have been seized from traders.
In April 1994, 934 skins of jungle cats were seized in Jammu, while in October 1994, the authorities seized 62 skins of Bengal leopard cats. In March 1995, the authorities seized 38 skins of clawless otters and seven skins of smooth otters. In July, 1996, 1,400 live Indian Tent turtles were seized in Malda, West Bengal.
India and Brazil are the world's largest exporters of medicinal plants. In India, 46 species of plants are banned from export. The international market for plant-based medicines shot up from $66 million in 1970 to US $43 billion in 1985. India produces Rs 800 crore worth of plant-based medicines annually. In fact, a single specimen of slipper orchid can fetch as much as $5,000 in North America.