Guwahati: Forest officials rescued 13 exotic animals, some suspected to be Moor macaques and guenon in Assam’s Cachar district near the Mizoram border on Tuesday.
According to sources, the animals were found caged in three boxes in the Derby tea garden by locals.
The animals were not native to India, so they must have been smuggled from across the border, said the official.
The official further said that during the initial investigation, these species were identified as Moor macaques and Guenon species, which are not found in India.
However, as many as 13 primates were found in three boxes from the tea garden manager’s bungalow.
There was one more box which was empty, said the official.
They further added that all the recovered primates will send to Guwahati zoo.
Last week, Assam police rescued over 140 different smuggled animals in Mizoram. Police arrested several smugglers and rescued many exotic animals, including birds and reptiles.
