Crime: Panda in luggage: animals confiscated at Bangkok airport

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Panda in luggage: animals confiscated at Bangkok airport

The red panda is also called the cat bear (symbolic image). photo

© Cristobal Escobar/Agencia Uno/dpa

Rare monkeys, a red panda and a bear cuscus: customs officials in Bangkok could hardly believe their eyes when they checked the luggage of six Indians. The trade in exotic animals is flourishing.

At the airport of Bangkok customs officials have discovered dozens of rare and protected animal species in the luggage of six Indians. The species to be smuggled from the Thai capital to Mumbai included a red panda (also known as a cat bear), two critically endangered tamarins, snakes, lizards, 15 exotic birds – including birds of paradise and Alexander parakeets – and a bear cuscus, which only occurs on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The animals were discovered during baggage screening, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported, citing customs authorities.

All of the species found are protected by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), it said. Some specimens were stowed in wicker baskets in luggage, others – including the monkeys and a parrot – were discovered in plastic containers with air holes. The customs officials informed the Thai Nature and Animal Welfare Authority, to which the animals were handed over.

The Indian suspects, including a woman, were arrested. They are accused of wildlife smuggling, violations of animal health laws and customs violations. Thailand is considered an important transshipment point for the illegal trade in rare and exotic animal species.

dpa

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