Five "exotic" monkeys and a wallaby were rescued from a vehicle in Assam's Kamrup district and a person was arrested in this connection, a forest official said on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, a team of forest personnel intercepted the vehicle at Hajo on Wednesday and recovered six cages in which the animals were found.?

The forest personnel team led by North Kamrup Division Range Officer Sangeeta Rani Singha apprehended the person, while another fled the spot, the official said.?Further investigation is on to ascertain from where the animals were brought and to which destination they were being taken.?

Species of the "exotic" monkeys were yet to be ascertained, while the wallaby is a marsupial that is like a small kangaroo and is found in Australia and New Guinea. Assam has recently witnessed seizures of rare animals which are not found in the region. ?

Wildlife trafficking is a major concern in the northeastern states with endangered and rare animals being targeted, the official said.?Another forest official pointed out that body parts of animals like one-horned rhinoceros, elephants and tigers were earlier trafficked to several countries in north and southeast Asia.

Traffickers have, however, shifted their attention to other rare animals including gecko, pangolin and more recently kangaroos and chimpanzees with the northeast region serving as a transit route for the trafficking of these animals.

(With PTI inputs)
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