Thailand Customs And Excise Thwarts The Smuggling Of Red Pandas And Dozens Of Animals Through Bagation At Suvawenhumi Airport

Red Panda. (Wikimedia Commons/Mathias Appel)

JAKARTA - The Thai Customs Authority succeeded in thwarting the smuggling of red pandas, snakes, chameleons and monkeys through baggage at Suvanarnabhumi Airport this week, arresting six Indian citizens in connection with allegations of smuggling attempts.

A total of 87 reptiles and mammals were found in the trunk, including chameleons, snakes, large-half parrots, red-eye squirrels, bats and monkeys.

Some animals were wrapped in paper, others in plastic containers, as shown in photos from Customs and Excise at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The six people, who headed for Mumbai, were arrested on Monday, authorities said in a statement.

According to Thailand's Customs and Excise, individuals suspected of smuggling the animal violated several laws, including the International Trade Convention on the Endangered Fauna and Flora Liar Species (CITES), which regulates international trade in wild plant and animal species, as quoted by CNN.

The suspects were also accused of trying to export live animals without declaring them and violating animal disease control laws, the agency said.

Thailand, which borders four countries, often experiences the trade of illegal wildlife and customs officers in Suvawenhumi often confiscate reptiles and small animals in the trunk.

There is a high demand for animal products in countries such as China, Myanmar and Thailand, where these products are used in traditional medicine or consumed directly.

Meanwhile, a 2018 report by TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organization campaigning against "illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade" found that there were 1,346 seizures of wildlife and wildlife products in the air transportation sector between 2009 and 2016.

This form of wildlife trade took place at airports in 136 countries between 2009 and 2017, the report said, and Thailand reported the second-highest number of similar incidents in the world.