As many as 567 cases of illegal trafficking and possession of animals, birds and exotic species have been detected across India since 2020, according to data maintained by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB).The data, revealed to The Tribune in an RTI response, is compiled by the Bureau headquarters based on information received from state forest and police authorities, and highlights the continued illegal trade in both native wildlife and exotic species.In light of the recent trafficking of orangutans in Odisha, which is being investigated by the WCCB, concerns have been raised regarding India becoming a hub for illegal wildlife trade. Among the commonly trafficked animals and birds are parrots, red-whiskered bulbuls, hornbills, Indian star tortoises and red-eared slider turtles.The list also includes several exotic species, such as iguanas, giant day geckos, marmosets, orangutans, gibbons, spider monkeys, alligators and Pacman frogs. Snakes and Malayan giant squirrels are also among the species commonly trafficked.The illegal trade involves trafficking and possession of wildlife at both national and international levels, the WCCB data states. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey, who exposed the illegal trafficking racket in Madhya Pradesh, said India needs an agency on the lines of National Investigative Agency (NIA) to investigate wildlife trafficking cases.“No one talks about the convictions. An agency should be constituted on the lines of the NIA to investigate cases of illegal wildlife trade and it should rank the states based on the conviction rate. When tigers went extinct from Sariska Tiger Reserve, the then Rajasthan government demanded a CBI probe. Sansar Chand, the smuggler behind the poaching in the tiger reserve was convicted. Around the same time, tigers were wiped out from the Panna Tiger Reserve but there was no CBI probe and no one was convicted,” he said.Former Indian Forest Service officer BK Singh said that WCCB’s disclosure of 567 cases of trafficking of exotic animal species in India was quite alarming. “The orangutans seized from the forests of Odhisa and kept in the Nandankanan Zoo, Bhubaneswar, also reflect on the problem. The forests of Borneo and Sumatra are being destroyed and set on fire for palm oil cultivation. Several species from such habitats have moved to human areas in Indonesia and thereafter, smuggled to India and other countries. Forest fires worldwide have made species move out of habitats and caused them to be smuggled to other countries,” he said.The official pointed out that India has been losing bulbul, star tortoise, gibbon and several species to other countries, which indicated that our vigil and protection efforts were compromised.