Authorities in Thailand stopped several Taiwanese nationals from smuggling animals for the illegal pet trade.
What happened?
On Oct. 7, according to Khaosod, authorities in Thailand detained a Taiwanese national after discovering he was attempting to smuggle animals through airport security. He had allegedly drugged the animals, put them into stockings, wrapped them in cloth, and finally strapped the bundled animals to his body.
Following this arrest, Wildlife Checkpoint investigators at Don Mueang Airport continued their investigation. They found evidence of a smuggling ring and its upcoming operation to smuggle a large shipment of animals using the same method as the man arrested on Oct. 7.
Wildlife Checkpoint, customs officials, and police from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division increased security and set up surveillance operations at the airport. On Oct. 17, they came across three Taiwanese nationals behaving suspiciously and conducted body searches.
They found 52 protected animals wrapped in stockings and strapped to the men's legs. The animals included 32 baby star tortoises, seven crocodile lizards, four big-headed turtles, three spiny tortoises, two mountain tortoises, two adult star tortoises, one Indian star tortoise, and one spider tortoise.
Why is this incident concerning?
The alleged suspects smuggling these animals were trafficking them for the illegal pet trade. The desire for exotic pets has increased in recent years, leading to more wildlife smuggling to meet demand.
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However, often, once people have acquired their exotic pet, they find that it's either too dangerous to keep or they simply don't know how to care for it. This can lead exotic pet owners to get rid of the animal, whether by killing it or simply dumping it somewhere outdoors.
The act of animal smuggling can be harmful for animals, as well, resulting in injury or death before they even reach their destination, causing declining populations for trafficked species. The animals in this case could very well have suffocated in the stockings or been overly drugged to the point of death.
Additionally, had this wildlife reached its destination, the animals would then have become invasive species. Invasive species threaten local ecosystems, introduce new diseases that can be deadly to native species, may attack other animals or humans, or cause other harm.
What's being done about this smuggling ring?
Authorities arrested all of the suspects, and the three arrested on Oct. 17 confessed and explained that this smuggling attempt was their third.
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Officials charged all the men with attempting to export goods without completing proper customs procedures, illegal possession of protected wildlife, and attempting the unauthorized export of controlled and protected wildlife under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, among other charges.
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