A deeper look at Thailand’s attractive illegal wildlife trade, which is worthwhile US$ 20 billion
PUBLISHED: 17 October 2023 at 12:25
UPDATED: 12:36 on October 17, 2023.
According to anti-wildlife smuggling official Pol Col Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta,” We need to include a better balance between humans and nature.”
It’s not just about safeguarding animals, either. In order to make the world more green, we would like to encourage people to protect their own natural resources and the environment. After that, we can live happily alongside characteristics forever.
Aside from noble aspirations, the director of Sub-division 6 in the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division’s daily tasks include pursuing criminals in an illegal sector for US$ 20 billion( 726 billion baht ), which is the fourth-most attractive crime worldwide after drugs, people, and weapons.
a hotspot for wildlife smuggling
Thailand has long served as a gateway for business, serving as its origin, destination, and transit route. Thailand is home to 10 % of the world’s animal species.
Luckily, the days when farms stocked with tigers, bears, and crocodiles were scattered throughout the nation. Shop windows now boldly display lion and leopard skins and Chatuchak market species from all over the world.
The fresh Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019 increased traffickers’ prison term to 20 years and protected non-native types. The Supreme Court gave Taiwanese seller Kingpin Boonchai Bach a five-year prison sentence in absentia in 2022 after he first walked completely.
And on September 19, Malaysian Teo Boon Ching received an 18-month prison term in the US for plotting to transport thousands of dollars’ worth of rhinoceros ears in hundreds of kilograms. The” uncle”, a smuggler, had been extradited from Thailand.
On a helicopter, animals
However, there is still wildlife trafficking going on everywhere in the country. Chaos broke out after a rat and an otter were discovered wandering about on an Oct. 4 flight from Suvarnabhumi to Taipei. They had managed to get away from the carry-on bag that contained two dark large squirrels, 20 Cambodian star tortoises, and the snake and prairie dog.
Media reports had a lighthearted voice, but anyone who is concerned about animal cruelty, species extinction, and the possibility of zoonotic diseases, which most scientists believe are to blame for Covid-19, will never find the smuggling scourge interesting.
” Over the past two to three years, we have taken both protected animals and” reserved” animals from smugglers ,” according to Pol Col. Wanpichit on the & nbsp, Bangkok Post, podcast, and Deeper Dive. Unique species include birds, lion cubs, lemurs, and most recently pangolins. Additionally smuggled are snake and cat parts.
Pangolins, also known as” scaly anteaters,” were once widespread in Thailand but are now primarily caught in Indonesia and transported live by ship to Myanmar or overland through Malaysia before they cross the Thai border. They are traded for their meat and scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, they are swiftly transported into China from the Lao border.
And some people still believe that it’s hunting these in Thailand. It’s a way of living, really. Pol Col. Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta is the director of sub-division 6 in the division of natural resources and economic crime suppression.
Foreign research facilities
The smuggling of monkey monkeys and nbsp is even widespread.
They originate in the northwestern region of Thailand, according to Pol Col. Wanpichit. They are almost undoubtedly going to facilities in China, but even when pressed, the officer stuck to police protocol and avoided mentioning specific nations out of concern that they might offend.
What we can say, he said, is that they are first brought to nearby nations before being smuggled into a fourth nation for testing purposes.
The wildlife protection officer was evident that enforcement efforts may not completely eradicate the trade until demand for the product declines, despite the fact that investigators have had some success fighting the criminal gangs that dominate the industry.
” In some nations, news and information about the risks, repercussions, and fines associated with wildlife trafficking are practically nonexistent.” And some people still believe that it’s hunting these in Thailand. It’s a way of living, really.
For a complete interview with Pol Col Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta on the fourth episode of the brand-new Bangkok Post podcast, Deeper Dive, go to https :// spoti.fi / 3ZQ7fOv. Or look up” Deeker Dive Thailand” wherever you find apps.