wildlife trafficking
- Thailand News
Illegal tiger cub trafficking operation thwarted in Bueng Kan
The authorities in Thailand yesterday carried out a sting operation in Bueng Kan, aimed at thwarting an illegal wildlife trafficking scheme involving a tiger cub. The sellers were seeking to profit 300,000 baht (US$8,200) from the illicit sale. Police Major General Watcharin Poosit, Commander of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED), directed officers to apprehend a 34…
- Pattaya News
Suvarnabhumi Airport uncovers shocking wild animal smuggling operation
In an episode that shook Suvarnabhumi International Airport on March 5, a remarkable seizure of 87 wild animals was carried out. The operation was a joint effort by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, Customs Office, and other pertinent authorities. This intervention unfolded when airport security personnel caught sight of these creatures, secreted away within eight pieces…
- Thailand News
DNP arrests Vietnamese trio in Bangkok, saving 1,000+ animals from illegal trafficking
Officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) arrested three Vietnamese men in the Lat Phrao district of Bangkok for an illegal wildlife trafficking attempt. More than 1,000 animals were rescued. The Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT) reported the wildlife trafficking to the DNP, claiming that their members had observed suspicious activities at a residence in Sinthon…
- Thailand News
Thailand tightens border control to curb illegal wildlife smuggling
A concerted effort to tighten borders and stifle illegal wildlife trafficking is underway in Thailand, led by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. The department is collaborating with multiple state agencies responsible for border control to clamp down on wildlife smuggling gangs. This action is part of the country’s observance of National Wildlife Protection Day. Narongrit Sookprakan,…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s wildlife trafficking battle: A US$20 billion trade swinging into action
The fight against wildlife trafficking in Thailand, a trade valued at approximately US$20 billion, is in full swing. Police Colonel Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta, an officer dedicated to the wildlife trafficking cause, stresses the importance of not only preserving wildlife but also protecting the environment and natural resources for a sustainable world. Thailand, a country that houses 10% of the world’s animal…
- Crime News
Malaysian ‘Godfather’ of wildlife trafficking jailed in US over rhino horns
A Malaysian wildlife trafficker has been confined to prison for a period of 18 months in the United States. The charge against the trafficker, Teo Boon Ching known infamously as the Godfather, is the planned trafficking of hundreds of kilogrammes of rhinoceros horns. The horns, a result of the illicit poaching of rhinoceroses, are valued at millions of dollars. The…
- Thailand News
14 macaque carcasses found in house raid, wildlife trafficking suspects arrested
A recent raid in Cha-am district, Phetchaburi, led to the discovery of 14 deceased macaques and five more in distress, locked up without food or water. The provincial wildlife protection area director, Prawet Sunthornthai, led the wildlife conservation team that searched the rented house in Ban Khao Mainual, tambon Khao Yai, after receiving a tip from a neighbour. The search…
- Thailand News
Six arrested for wildlife trafficking and macaques rescue in Phetchaburi
Phetchaburi authorities arrested six members of a wildlife trafficking gang and rescued over ten macaques near a hill in the Muang district. The arrests took place today morning following a tip-off, leading the police to the foothill of Khao Luang in tambon Thongchai, where they discovered the group capturing long-tailed macaques. Upon monitoring the gang, officers observed four men and…
- Thailand News
British labradors head to Thailand to sniff out smuggled pangolins
Two sharp-nosed Labradors from England are heading to Thailand to save critically-endangered pangolins from wildlife smugglers. The elusive, nocturnal pangolin – able to roll up into an armour-plated ball when threatened – is the most trafficked animal in the world. Known as “scaly anteaters,” these unique mammals disguised as reptiles are trafficked primarily for their scales, which are used in…
- Environment News
Couple arrested for selling Asiatic golden cat parts
A couple arrested in Bangkok with 19 animal skins has confessed to selling talismans made from Asiatic golden cat parts including skins and oil. Officers from the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division arrested Phatcharapha Prasongdee and her husband Sitthichai Boonlai, both 30 years old, at a house in Lat Phrao district on Friday. In the couple’s house were…
- World News
Cambodian wildlife official charged with smuggling temple monkeys
A Cambodian wildlife official has been charged in the United States with smuggling endangered monkeys. Eight people have now been charged with smuggling the endangered monkeys. The Guardian reports that the Cambodian official was arrested on his way to a conference on protecting endangered species. The group arrested are connected to a Hong Kong-based company involved in breeding long-tailed macaques…
- Environment News
Myanmar kleptocracy boosts rhino horn trafficking
Rhino horn trafficking remains a severe problem that needs to be addressed with a new sense of urgency. During 2012-2021, more than 7.5 tons of rhino horn was seized in 674 incidents Asian rhino horns are less frequently seized than African, but there have been several recent reports of Indian rhino horns being seized at border points in Myanmar and…
- Crime News
Ukrainian woman caught smuggling 116 live tortoises from Tanzania into Thailand
Police arrested a Ukrainian woman at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday after airport security found 116 live tortoises in her luggage. The woman smuggled the protected wildlife on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania to Bangkok, transiting in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia along the way. Yesterday at 2:40pm, Chief of the Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport Sathon…
- World News
Malaysian arrested in Bangkok for wildlife trafficking, claims he came for cannabis
A Malaysian national arrested in Bangkok yesterday for alleged wildlife trafficking claimed he came to the kingdom for cannabis oil business. The man, 58 year old Boon Ching Teo, is allegedly a key trafficker in a global network. He was reportedly dubbed ‘the godfather’ of wildlife trading by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is wanted by US authorities.…
- Thailand News
Police arrest tiger cub smugglers in Central Thailand
Police seized a four month old tiger cub in a car park in the central province of Nonthaburi yesterday. Three men wanted on arrest warrants were arrested on suspicion of possessing and trafficking protected wildlife without permission. All three men confessed to importing the tiger cub from Laos. The cub was found in a basket inside a Honda pickup truck…
- Thailand News
Jane Seymour will tour Thailand to promote several causes
Jane Seymour, the famous British-American actress, is heading to Thailand with her family to promote and support several causes including pandemic prevention and fighting trafficking. She will tour the country with her family as a part holiday and part advocacy for Freeland, a charity centred in Bangkok. While Seymour will take time to explore the beaches of Thailand on her…
- Thailand News
Police seize more than 100 monkeys allegedly trafficked in illegal meat trade
More than 100 wild monkeys caged in plastic carriers were seized off a pickup truck in Prachinburi province. The 25 year old driver was arrested, and allegedly told police that he had been hired by a network that trafficks wild animals to be purchased by restaurants and later eaten. The 102 monkeys were in poor condition, some with wounds and…
- Environment News
Thai tiger park faces permanent closure amid wildlife smuggling allegations
The threat of permanent closure hangs over a tiger park in the north-eastern province of Mukdahan, due to the alleged illegal smuggling of tiger cubs. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has brought charges against Mukda Tiger Park & Farm, also known as Mukda Suan Sua, and ordered the facility to close for 30 days. The DNP…
- Northern Thailand News
Police raid Isaan farm, arrest 2 people allegedly involved in illegal horse meat trade
A 44 year old Thai woman was arrested for allegedly trafficking and selling horse meat illegally after police in the Isaan province Khon Kaen raided a farm and found 44 horses that – they say – were about to be slaughtered. Reports say the farm owner was also arrested, but did not give any additional information. The horse meat was…
- Thailand News
Thailand sends smuggled orangutans back to Indonesia
After being smuggled through Southeast Asia, seized by Thai border officials, and then cared for at a Thailand wildlife centre for 3 years, a pair of endangered Sumatran orangutans are being sent back to Indonesia. Back in June 2017, border officials seized the orangutans, Ung Ing and Nathalie, from smugglers at a customs checkpoint in the southern province Songkhla, near…
