Wildlife Smuggling Uncovered at Bangkok Airport
Customs officers in Bangkok could hardly believe their eyes when they checked the luggage of six Indian nationals. The trade in exotic animals is flourishing.
Dozens of protected animals in luggage
At Bangkok airport, customs officers discovered dozens of rare and protected animal species in the luggage of six Indian nationals.
Among the species that were to be smuggled from the Thai capital to Mumbai were a red panda (also known as a firefox), two critically endangered golden lion tamarins, snakes, lizards, 15 exotic birds including birds of paradise and Alexandrine parakeets, as well as a bear cuscus found only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
The animals were discovered during baggage X-ray screening, reported the newspaper «Bangkok Post» citing customs authorities. All of the species found are protected under the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES, it was stated.
Suspects were arrested
Some specimens had been stowed in wicker baskets in the luggage, while others, including the monkeys and a parrot, were found in plastic containers with air holes. Customs officers notified the Thai wildlife and nature conservation authority, to which the animals were handed over.
Thailand as a transit hub
The Indian suspects, including one woman, were arrested. They are accused of wildlife smuggling, violations of animal disease control laws, and customs offences. Thailand is considered an important transit hub for the illegal trade in rare and exotic animal species.
