Thailand arrests man for smuggling baby orangutans
Thailand is a major hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell endangered creatures on the black market in China, Vietnam and Taiwan
Thai police have arrested a man suspected of smuggling two baby orangutans into the kingdom, they said on Thursday, in a case linked to an international wildlife trafficking network.
The 47-year-old suspect was detained on Wednesday evening at a petrol station in a residential district of Bangkok while preparing to hand over the animals to a customer, police said in a statement.
Two infant orangutans – one about a year old, the other just one month – were found in a plastic basket wearing diapers, with a feeding bottle beside them, according to photos released by police.
The arrest followed a joint investigation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Orangutans, native to Borneo and Sumatra, are classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and protected under the Cites treaty, and are among the most trafficked primates in the world.
Thai police said the apes were believed to have been sold for around 300,000 baht each (US$8,900).