SUVARNABHUMI – Thai authorities apprehended a Mongolian passenger who attempted to transport live animals out of the Kingdom, including CITES-listed animals.
The Suvarnabhumi Airport Customs Control Section of the Investigation and Suppression Department collaborated with the National Park Department. Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department of Fisheries and Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited takes this kind of smuggling very seriously.
This Mongolian man attempted to go to Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, from Suvarnabhumi Airport, where animals were detected under control under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The animals discovered in the luggage include two Komodo dragons and six Indian star tortoises, both of which are on the CITES list Appendix I, as well as eight iguanas, five Burmese pythons, and one reticulated python on Appendix II.
In addition, 46 live fish were discovered, including 22 guppies and two Siamese fighting fish. All of the animals in the passenger’s luggage were intended for check-in on the plane.
Mr. Panthong Loikunnan, a Customs Department official, stated that the passenger’s attempt to export out of the Kingdom is already illegal under the Convention on International Trade, which regulates specific species, including CITES-listed wild animals and plants. The man also violated the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, the Animal Epidemics Act, and the Royal Fisheries Decree.
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