Man caught with endangered tortoise faces charges for hunting in Thailand wildlife sanctuary

Thai authorities caught a man with an endangered tortoise he reportedly caught in a wildlife sanctuary and planned to cook up and eat. The man was found in the southern province of Prachuap Khiri Khan province with firearms and a yellow elongated tortoise which he claimed he was cooking. The man faces charges relating to illegally entering a wildlife sanctuary, hunting wild animals without permission and illegally carrying firearms.

62 year old Somphit Khambanlue was caught holding a rifle by the head of a wildlife sanctuary yesterday in rural Prachuap Khiri Khan province in the Gulf of Thailand. Somphat also had a shotgun with 11 rounds of ammunition, a head torch and an elongated tortoise which he claimed he was cooking. The elongated tortoise is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is under extreme pressure from illegal hunting.

Somdat faces charges for breaking Sections 53, 54, 92 and 96 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019 for entering a wildlife sanctuary without permission and hunting animals within a wildlife sanctuary without permission. He also faces charges for illegally carrying firearms. Somdat was arrested yesterday and confessed he was illegally hunting for food.

SOURCE: KhaoSod