Wildlife trafficking: Birds and red pandas seized in Thailand
The National Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) searched a property in Nakhon Pathom where rare birds were being kept, after seizing two red pandas valued at millions of baht in Nonthaburi.
Deputy commander Police Colonel Arun Wachirasrisukanya announced yesterday that police obtained a court warrant to search the premises in Thap Luang subdistrict, Mueang district.
This investigation followed the discovery of the red pandas at another property owned by Suphawat Weerawongwiwat in Nonthaburi. During the search in Nakhon Pathom, police found approximately 100 rare cockatoos and macaws. Officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) were involved to help ascertain the origin of these exotic birds and support the investigation.
The search took place in the presence of the housekeeper, identified only as Witoon. He stated that he was employed by the property owner, known as Ball, to maintain it. Witoon claimed that the birds were legally kept and that Ball would later provide the necessary permits to the police.
Witoon also acknowledged that the two red pandas seized from the Nonthaburi property originated from the Nakhon Pathom location and had been sold to the Nonthaburi owner for 4.3 million baht.
The police mentioned that the DNP would verify all documentation collected as evidence. Red pandas are indigenous to regions including northern Nepal, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, and southwestern China. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are classified as endangered, with fewer than 10,000 remaining in their natural habitat, reported Bangkok Post.
In related news, three orangutans were seized in Chumphon’s Mueang district on Wednesday, January 22 while en route to Bangkok. These animals were discovered in a pickup truck. The orangutans, classified as endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), were contained in large baskets.
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