Bangkok: The Department of National Parks is accelerating its investigation into a case involving the illegal transport of wildlife from overseas. The Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has directed the Hawk Unit to collaborate with the Wildlife and Plant Conservation Division under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to broaden the scope of the investigation. This follows the interception of a pickup truck by the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division police, which was found illegally transporting wildlife.
According to Thai News Agency, the investigation revealed that the pickup truck, intercepted in Tambon Thung Kha, Amphoe Mueang, Chumphon Province, was carrying protected wildlife. The truck contained 1 white-handed gibbon, 2 large black gibbons, and 3 orangutans, which require official documentation for possession. The authorities arrested two individuals involved in this illegal transport. The investigation subsequently led to searches of two additional houses in Nonthaburi Province, identified as destinations for the illegally transported wildlife.
The Dong Hawk Unit, in conjunction with the 5th Division of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division, conducted further inspections at a wildlife shelter in Tambon Laharn, Amphoe Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi Province. During this operation, they discovered a civet and a masked bulbul, along with the owner of these animals. The investigation then extended to a house in Bang Rak Phatthana Subdistrict, Bang Bua Thong District, which was identified as another shelter for wildlife. Officials found controlled wild animals, including 7 cotton-headed tamarins and 2 red pandas, along with one owner.
The coordinated efforts resulted in three related arrests and the detention of four suspects. Authorities seized a total of 17 animals from 7 different species. The investigation officers of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division are now processing these cases in accordance with legal procedures. The Department of National Parks plans to continue working with the police to further investigate and dismantle the international wildlife trafficking network.