Bulbuls crammed into plastic baskets for delivery to buyers in Phatthalung
PHATTHALUNG: A total of 400 smuggled red-whiskered bulbuls had been rescued after the shielded wild birds, packed into five containers, were abandoned simply by smugglers in Muang district on Friday morning.
Police officers from the Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division hid near the Chalerm Prakiat bus station around 6am right after receiving information that protected wild animals would be arriving from the North via an interprovincial bus on the Bangkok-Hat Yai route.
However , there was no signs of the particular shipment after officials had waited for two hours.
They later learned that the smugglers got taken five plastic material baskets containing red-whiskered bulbuls — called nok parawd hua khoan or nok krong hua juk in Thai — to a roadside pavilion in tambon Tha Khae, about six kilometres away from the bus terminal.
Officers proceeded to go there to wait for someone to pick up the baskets. But no one showed up to claim ownership for fear of being arrested, said Pol Sub Luxury touring Theeratchakit Kaewkhao, mind of the police team.
The particular officers then grabbed the baskets containing 400 protected parrots. Some bananas and oranges were discovered inside. The chickens were transferred through the crammed baskets to large cages. Officials are now hunting down individuals involved in the smuggling.
Pol Bass speaker Lt Theeratchakit said the protected wild birds were sold for three hundred to 500 baht each and were popular with bird raisers in Phatthalung.
Wild chickens are frequently offered available on Facebook and police had to cause as buyers to arrest the traders, he said.
A total of 400 protected birds were found crammed inside five plastic containers. (Photo: Assawin Pakkwan)
Police transfer birds through crowded baskets in order to cages. (Photo: Assawin Pakkawan)