Six Indian nationals were arrested at Bangkok’sSuvarnabhumi Airporton Wednesday (March 6) after a red panda and dozens of other exoticanimalsand birdswere seizedfrom their checked luggage in a majorwildlifetrafficking bust.
“We have found out that the animals include 29 black throat monitor lizards, 21snakes, 15 birds, including parrots — a total of 87 animals. The animals were hidden inside the luggage,” Thailand’s Customs Departmentannouncedin a statement.
Highlights87 exotic animals were seized in Bangkok as part of a major wildlife trafficking bust.Among them were a red panda, one tigerfish, two red-eyed squirrels, a frog, and two bats.Suspects face up to 10 years in jail for their crime.
Among them wereone tigerfish, two red-eyed squirrels, a frog, two bats, cotton-top tamarins, and dozens of chameleons.
Six Indian nationals were arrested at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Wednesday (March 6) after trying to smuggle 87 live animals
Image credits:Thailand Customs
The Kingdom is a major transit hub for smugglers in the illegalwildlifetrafficking trade, who often sell the animals in China and Vietnam. Although recent years have seen a surge in wildlife trafficking to India,CBS reported.
The suspects face a maximum of 10 years in jail or four times the amount of import duties.
“We have found out that the animals include 29 black throat monitor lizards, 21 snakes, 15 birds,” Thailand’s Customs Department announced in a statement
The suspects face a maximum of 10 years in jail or four times the amount of import duties
In a separate picture, aparrotappears shut in a plastic container with air holes drilled in the lid to let it breathe.
Meanwhile,snakes were coiled together in cloth bags, and lizards were kept in what seemed like plastic tubs.
Just last month, a Mongolian man was arrested at the same airport after a failed attempt to smuggle Komodo dragons, pythons, and two dozen live fish out of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom is a major transit hub for smugglers in the illegal wildlife trafficking trade
Snakes were coiled together in cloth bags
All animals found are protected under a multilateral treaty calledCITESfor the protection and conservation of endangered animals and plants from illegal smuggling.
Thailand has also launched a dedicated Wildlife Crime Intelligence Unit last year to prevent wildlife trafficking across its borders.
A parrot appears shut in a plastic container with air holes drilled in the lid to let it breathe
Meanwhile, lizards were kept in what seemed like plastic tubs
The lucrative trafficking of wildlifehas becomethe 4th biggest illicit trade on the planet, worth an estimated $100 and $150 billion per year.
Trafficking wildlife, animal parts, and plants hasfar-reaching consequences, not only for the animals involved but also for human livelihoods and biodiversity.
Besides diminishing species populations, illegal wildlife trade can threaten ecosystem functions, as it can create sex-ratio imbalances and slow the reproduction rate of vulnerable species, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) writes.Additionally, the illicit practice can pose health threats to humans, especially if it introduces viruses, bacteria, or species to which native populations are not adequately resistant.
“I hope they were all put in prison,” someone wrote
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