Baby Animals Found In Man's Suitcases At Thai Airport

[LordCC]

A 36-year-old man was arrested after attempting to board a flight from Bangkok to Dubai with 7 baby animals in his luggage Two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys had been drugged and placed inside flat cages and canisters with holes so they couldn’t move around. When officials opened the suitcases, the animals yawned as they were greeted by fresh air.

"There's a strong likelihood that some of them wouldn't have survived the flight in the condition they were in," FREELAND Foundation's Roy Schlieben was quoted saying in NY Daily News. "The fact they were transported alive would indicate the person at the other end wanted to keep them in their residence or some sort of zoo, or maybe even breed them."

Local veterinarians have taken immediate care of all animals.

The man was held 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, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand. He has been charged with smuggling endangered species out of Thailand, which could mean up to four years in jail, police said.

Authorities believe he was part of a trafficking network and are searching for suspected accomplices.

Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking where leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 a piece on the black market.

[Quiksilver]

Remember reading somewhere that exotic animal trafficking is second to only cocaine