- Photo: The Nation/ANN
BANGKOK: Thai police have arrested a man suspected of smuggling two baby orangutans into the kingdom, they said Thursday (May 15), in a case linked to an international wildlife trafficking network.
The 47-year-old suspect was detained on Wednesday evening at a petrol station in a residential district of Bangkok while preparing to hand over the animals to a customer, police said in a statement.
Two infant orangutans -- one about a year old, the other just one month -- were found in a plastic basket wearing diapers, with a feeding bottle beside them, according to photos released by police.
- Photo: The Nation/ANN
The arrest followed a joint investigation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Orangutans, native to Borneo and Sumatra, are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under the CITES treaty, and are among the most trafficked primates in the world.
Thai police said the apes were believed to have been sold for around 300,000 baht each ($8,900).
- Photo: The Nation/ANN
The man was charged with "illegal possession of protected wildlife" under Thai law and faces up to four years in prison.
The orangutans, named Christopher and Stefan, were handed over to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for health checks and care to help "rehabilitate their condition".
Police said the suspect admitted he was hired to deliver the animals, but did not disclose the payment amount.
"We are investigating the larger network," Kasidach Charoenlap, a police officer with the Central Investigation Bureau, who was part of the investigation told AFP.
- Photo: The Nation/ANN
Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly prized endangered creatures on the lucrative black market in China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Separately, The Nation reported that the suspect, Thanasit, 47, was arrested at a petrol station on Prasert Manukit Road, in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district, after arriving on a motorcycle with the two baby orangutans placed in a basket strapped to the pillion seat.
International agencies support wildlife operation
Officers from Thailand’s Environmental Crime Suppression Division, along with officials from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), conducted the operation. The raid followed a tip-off from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wildlife Justice Commission (Netherlands), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Thai authorities have been working with these international partners to investigate a wildlife trafficking gang suspected of illegally selling baby orangutans. The animals are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
- Photo: The Nation/ANN
Critically endangered species sold for 300,000 Baht each
Orangutans are listed under CITES Appendix I, meaning they are critically endangered and international trade is strictly prohibited.
When officers emerged from their stakeout and stopped the suspect, they discovered two orangutans, named by the gang as Christopher (approximately one year old) and Stefan (around one month old), inside the basket. - AFP, The Nation/ANN
