Nearly 30,000 trafficked animals were rescued in a monthlong global operation

Interpol says a monthlong operation led by the international police body resulted in the rescue of nearly 30,000 live animals that were being trafficked

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Nearly 30,000 live animals were rescued in a monthlong global operation against wildlife trafficking that resulted in a record number of seizures, the international police body Interpol said on Thursday.

Operation Thunder 2025 from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 involved law enforcement agencies and wildlife and forestry authorities from 134 countries and resulted in more than 4,600 separate seizures that included tens of thousands of protected animals and plants and tens of thousands of cubic meters of illegally logged timber.

The animals rescued included 6,160 birds, 2,040 tortoises and turtles, 1,150 reptiles, 208 primates and 10 big cats, including endangered tigers, Interpol said.

Wildlife trafficking for animals’ body parts or for their sale as exotic pets is the most prominent danger to many endangered species and has become a major transnational organized crime.

Interpol said wildlife crime was worth at least $20 billion a year, and likely more because of the difficulties in tracking it. The global operation identified more than 1,000 suspects involved in the illegal wildlife