Nearly 20,000 Animals Rescued in Global Wildlife and Forestry Trafficking Operation

In a concerted effort to combat wildlife and forestry trafficking, Interpol and the World Customs Organization (WCO) launched Operation Thunder 2024, resulting in the rescue of nearly 20,000 threatened and protected animals. This significant operation, involving 138 countries, targeted six transnational criminal networks suspected of exploiting endangered species for the illegal wildlife trade

Law Enforcement Action Against Wildlife Trafficking Networks

The operation led authorities to arrest 365 individuals and seize thousands of birds, turtles, reptiles, primates, big cats, and pangolins. Major seizures included 6,500 songbirds in Turkey, 5,193 red-eared ornamental slider turtles in India, and 12 pangolins in Mozambique.

Counter-trafficking agents gathered crucial DNA samples for future prosecutions and gained insights into trafficking routes and trends.

Timber was the

The Impact of Wildlife Trafficking

Wildlife crime generates an estimated $21 billion annually, making it the fourth-largest international crime after weapons, narcotics, and human trafficking. It l

Law enforcement and wildlife forensic experts collected DNA samples during the operation that can be used in future prosecutions. These samples shed light on trafficking routes and trends.

This wildlife crime deprives endangered species of their potential and fuels biodiversity loss, harms