3 orangutans destined for Bangkok seized in smuggling bust
Three orangutans were seized in Chumphon’s Mueang district yesterday, January 22 while en route to Bangkok.
These animals were discovered in a pickup truck driven by 63 year old Winai (surname withheld), with 45 year old Kalaya in the front passenger seat. The orangutans, classified as endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), were contained in large baskets.
The vehicle was stopped for inspection by police at a checkpoint near a petrol station. This operation was conducted in collaboration with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, resulting in the seizure of the orangutans. Additionally, the officers found what they suspected to be wild monkeys and a goral, a small goat-like mammal, in the truck.
Police indicated that the animals might have been smuggled into Thailand by an international wildlife trafficking network. Winai and Kalaya informed the police that they had collected the animals in Songkhla and were transporting them to a customer in Bangkok. Police are verifying whether a licence was obtained for the possession of these animals or if any permission was sought from relevant bodies.
Experts from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) are investigating the origins of the animals. Concurrently, police extended their investigation, leading to a raid on a house associated with the suspects in Bangkok’s Ratchapruek area. This search uncovered seven cotton-top tamarins and two red pandas, reported Bangkok Post.
In December, the government repatriated three orangutans, trafficked to Thailand seven years earlier, back to Indonesia. An orangutan was transported to an environment protection office following its seizure in Chumphon while being transported to Bangkok yesterday.
In related news, a wildlife official has acknowledged the challenges in pursuing legal action against those involved in the attempted trafficking of a baby gorilla, initially seized in Turkey and allegedly destined for Thailand.
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