A red panda, 21 snakes, parrots… Thai customs officials arrested six Indians who tried to board a flight connecting Bangkok with Mumbai with 87 wild animals destined for trafficking, they announced on March 6, 2024.
Hidden in suitcases
“We found animals, including 29 black-necked monitor lizards, 21 snakes, 15 birds including parrots (…), a total of 87 animals. The animals were hidden in suitcases“, says a press release from the authorities. Photos released by customs show a red panda, an endangered species native to the Himalayas and southwest China, placed in a wicker basket sealed with plastic. tape The animals were discovered on March 4 in Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the kingdom’s largest.
10 years in prison
The suspects face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison or four times the import duty. Thailand is a notorious center for wildlife trade, usually to Vietnam and China, where they are used in traditional medicine, but in recent years there has been an increase in illegal trade to India.
The Mongolian was arrested at the end of February in Bangkok with a suitcase full of snakes, Komodo dragons and turtles as he boarded a plane bound for Ulaanbaatar.