BENGALURU: To handle increasing cases of wildlife cases being reported at Kempegowda International Airport, Customs officials are now getting expert support from the Karnataka forest department.
From January 26, a team of four forest personnel has been working in shifts with Customs officials in scrutinising and analysing all items passing through the security check for domestic and international travel.
This initiative came to fruition after nearly two-and-a-half months of discussion. Now, cases will be booked against violaters under the Customs Act and Wildlife Protection Act, said Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bengaluru Rural Division) G Santosh Kumar on Tuesday.
Following the launch of the partnership, the Customs has also handed over its cases registered since January 2025 to the forest department. As per data, in the last one year, around 22 cases have been booked by the Customs for illegal import and export of wild animals -- mainly from South East Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia.
As per data, there were 19 cases of import from January 2025 till date, and three export cases from August-November 2025. A forest official said no export cases have been recorded since November last year.
Kumar said the Customs has handed over all the pending cases to the department for further investigation.
On the reason for the rise in cases, officials attributed this to the large number of direct flights to and from KIA and other countries. “The airport is also close to the Andhra Pradesh border. The city is also well connected and close to neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Bengaluru has also become a pet hub. People have started to show interest in owning exotic and endangered species. Thus the demand is increasing and so are the seizures,” an official said.
Kumar said in the coming days, they will also partner with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and Crime Control Bureau in Chennai to expand their network.