The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has organised a two-day case coordination meeting between India and Thailand on ‘Live Animal Trafficking’ which commenced on Wednesday (September 2, 2026).

The CBI is co-hosting the meeting in coordination with the Interpol Environmental Security Sub-Directorate (ENS). “The smuggling of exotic live animals and birds for the pet trade is a growing trend in Asia. Mainly using air routes, live animals are being trafficked from Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia to South Asian countries, including India; Singapore is used as a transit point. The other frequently used route is the land route from Thailand via Myanmar,” said the agency.

Participants will discuss exotic species trafficking trends, smuggling routes, and concealment methods used by criminal networks, and further collaboration on the identification of targets.

Inaugurating the event, CBI Special Director Manoj Sashidhar said that live animal and bird trafficking was not merely an issue of wildlife protection. It was increasingly a transnational criminal activity involving organised networks, sophisticated methods of concealment, and transportation and linkages that extend across jurisdictions.