Man found carrying 'zoo' in luggage
Source: Agencies |
May 14, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
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AUTHORITIES at Bangkok's international airport arrested a first-class passenger yesterday whose suitcases were filled with baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys.
The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.
The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check in for his flight at Suvarnabhumi International Airport when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the FREELAND Foundation.
When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.
There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys - all about the size of puppies.
"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," Galster said.
Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.
"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases."
In Thailand, leopards and panthers fetch roughly US$5,000 each on the black market, but their value in Dubai is presumably higher, Galster said.
It's unknown if the animals were to be resold or kept as exotic pets.
The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai.
The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check in for his flight at Suvarnabhumi International Airport when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the FREELAND Foundation.
When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand.
There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys - all about the size of puppies.
"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," Galster said.
Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices.
"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases."
In Thailand, leopards and panthers fetch roughly US$5,000 each on the black market, but their value in Dubai is presumably higher, Galster said.
It's unknown if the animals were to be resold or kept as exotic pets.
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