Black panther cub seized in Mae Sot sting operation
A black panther cub was recovered in a sting operation at a shopping centre car park in Mae Sot district, Tak province, yesterday, April 9, where police arrested two Myanmar nationals over an alleged cross-border wildlife trafficking attempt.
The operation was carried out by the Central Investigation Bureau with officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
Police detained a man identified as Sao and a woman identified as Khin, both Myanmar nationals, and seized the black panther cub as evidence. Officers said the animal had been prepared for illegal export to a neighbouring country.
The investigation began on April 6 after officials received a tip-off about a protected wild animal being shipped through a private delivery company in Bangkok.
The parcel had been declared as a “cat”, but an inspection found it contained a seven month old black panther cub, a protected wild animal.
Officers then arranged a delivery, setting up the handover at a shopping centre car park in Mae Sot district to identify those involved in the shipment.
Investigators said the smuggling ring appeared to be part of a larger network with organisers based in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The group allegedly used Facebook to find people to receive and forward the animal from the Cambodian border through Thailand, with Shwe Kokko in Myanmar named as the final destination.
Thai PBS reported that Sao and Khin denied all allegations during questioning. They claimed they believed the animal was a “black cat” and said they had been hired to deliver it to an acquaintance in Myawaddy in exchange for 25,000 baht.
Police said they did not fully believe the claim due to the complexity of the operation and suspected links to a wildlife trafficking network.
The pair are being prosecuted on a charge of jointly possessing a protected wild animal without permission under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019.
The director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has assigned the three agencies involved to expand the investigation and pursue legal action against those linked to the case.
Investigators are also planning to transfer the black panther cub to Wildlife Rescue Centre No. 3 in Pratubchang, Ratchaburi province, where it will be cared for.
Elsewhere, Thai officials arrested an Indian passenger at Suvarnabhumi International Airport for attempting to smuggle 15 live wild animals out of Thailand. Officers found one langur, one gibbon and 13 turtles hidden in the passenger’s luggage.
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