Animal lover foils man's bid to smuggle six squirrels

An alert animal lover busted a man's bid to smuggle six baby squirrels on Thursday. The rodents had been stuffed in a bag and were starved to such an extent that they had bit each other, injuring two. The animals with bushy tails are now at a rehabilitation centre in Vasai East.

The rescuer, a Nagpada resident, was visiting the suburb when he came across a man with a bag with an unusual shape. His suspicion was aroused when he noticed something was moving inside it. He then struck up a conversation with the man and learnt that he was into smuggling of wild animals.

"The man bragged about his links with international traffickers and told me that squirrels, rare reptiles and birds were in great demand abroad," said the 45-year-old who did not wish to be identified.

When the animal lover told the smuggler, who appeared to be in his 30s, that he would call the police, the man dropped the bag and fled the spot. "I opened the bag and was shocked to see six baby squirrels. Two of them were injured."

The rescuer approached Wild Bird, Animal and Reptiles Rehabilitation Trust, a non-profit organisation, for help in treating and rehabilitating the animals.

Jayesh Mehta, founder of the NGO, said, "The injured squirrels had sustained bite marks as the animals had been kept starving. We have treated the injured rodents. We will hand over the squirrels to forest department officials."