URGENT! - ASEAN-WEN supports illegal wildlife possession

[Guest guest]

Illegal traded wildlife to stay with " owners " from now on

 

 

Bangkok, September 1st, 2008 - Thai authorities have decided to change the

way they deal with confiscated wildlife to safe time, efforts and money.

Several illegally smuggled wildlife such as one Orangutan, two dromedary and

30 other endangered wild animals were found over a week ago during a raid on

a small illegal zoo with the sole purpose of entertaining tourists. Although

just over a dozen animals were registered to some person living on another

address, there was no evidence at all to justify presence of over 30 other

animals found at the premises. When asked about the origin of the Orangutan

and other wildlife the " owner " stated that these were bought out of

compassion.

 

When police raided the premises of the Kaeng Pheka Resort in Chumporn on the

24th of September staff of the resort released 4 Sarus Cranes, a " reserved

species " , into the air and made a runner with the juvenile Orangutan in to

the forest behind the resort. They were obviously aware that these animals

were illegally obtained. After one hour police found a Burmese worker with

the Orangutan in a nearby palm plantation, the worker escaped police again,

but the Orangutan clinged on to the leg of the police officer and was picked

up moments later by staff of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand. The

appearance of over 30 police officers later on made it impossible for the

resort owner to take away more animals.

 

Under Thai law illegally traded or obtained wildlife needs to be confiscated

and placed in to one of the DNP (Department of National Parks, Plants and

Wildlife) wildlife rescue centres awaiting a court verdict, especially when

it is clear that these animals were illegally obtained from the beginning

on, furthermore when there is a chance that evidence, read wildlife, will

disappear it even makes it more important. The fact that the Sarus Cranes

are gone and the Orangutan was only found due to the persistence of the

police officers involved in the raid makes it very likely that again

wildlife will disappear if the animals are not taken away from the resort.

Again a clear sign that ASEAN-WEN is nothing more than a smoke screen trying

to make people believe something is seriously done against the illegal

wildlife trade.

 

Several official requests have been send to the DNP and police to ask for

confiscation of all illegally obtained animals, given arguments of possible

disappearance of evidence, animal welfare issues and the fact that the

" owner " now still financially gains from the possession of the wildlife.

From the DNP and in particular the head of ASEAN-WEN and the Thailand CITES

office, Mr. Wattana Vetchayasathit, we have now heard that the animals will

stay at the resort as there is said to be no place to take the animals, no

money for their transport and/or care. It was furthermore made clear that

there is from now on no need to take away any confiscated wildlife as it

won't help the battle against the illegal wildlife trade. (...)

 

The Wildlife Friends Foundation has offered to pay for transport and care in

an official letter to the Director-General of the DNP with no reply till

today. The exploitation of illegally obtained wildlife for tourism in

Thailand has seen a sharp increase over the last years with baby gibbons,

orang-utans, tigers as most commonly exploited. Unfortunately little is done

by the authorities to stop this practice.