(TH) Airport staff take on traffickers

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ENDANGERED SPECIES

Airport staff take on traffickers By: LAMPHAI INTATHEP Published: 10/03/2009

at 12:00 AMNewspaper section:

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Hundreds of Suvarnabhumi airport staff will undergo intensive training in an

effort to halt illegal wildlife trafficking under the " Wildlife Trafficking

Stops Here " campaign.

 

 

Airports of Thailand Plc and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry

launch the ‘‘Wildlife Trafficking Stops Here’’ campaign at Suvarnabhumi

airport yesterday. SOMCHAI POOMLARD

 

Jointly organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and

Airports of Thailand (AoT), the campaign is aimed at stopping the growing

problem of wildlife trafficking through the airport.

 

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti said long term

public awareness of nature crimes was needed among passengers who are being

urged not to buy protected species.

 

Part of the campaign will involve projecting anti-trafficking messages on TV

monitors and posting placards throughout the airport, particularly at

immigration gates and check-in booths in the departure hall. A two-day

wildlife trade regulation course will be organised for hundreds of airport

staff.

 

Suvarnabhumi airport is one of Asia's busiest transport hubs, serving more

than 30 million passengers a year. It was also known as a major conduit for

illegal wildlife trafficking, Mr Suwit said.

 

US ambassador to Thailand Eric John, who is involved in the campaign, said

thousands of wild animals flowed through trafficking hotspots such as the

airport every day to destinations around the world.

 

More than 30,000 species of wild plants and animals were on the

international endangered list with many already on the brink of extinction,

he said.

 

Mr John said the two-day wildlife trade regulation course, supported by the

US government and the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network (Asean-WEN), would

teach staff how to identify and handle the smuggling of protected wildlife

products, and gain knowledge on national and international wildlife trade

laws.

 

" They will be trained to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking at the airport

in order to make Suvarnabhumi an international environmental model for other

airports to emulate, " Mr John said.

 

About 250 airport staff were expected to attend.

 

In order to avoid detection, the traffickers hide various creatures as cargo

or treat them as baggage.

 

In January last year, 1.4 tonnes of live snakes were discovered in Hanoi on

a Vietnam Airlines flight from Suvarnabhumi airport and in June more than

1,000 snakes and rare turtles were found at the airport.

 

Records kept by Asean-WEN show that from mid-July to December last year,

23,375 live animals were rescued and more 14.6 tonnes of dead animals were

recovered in the region.

 

If the wildlife trafficking continued, anywhere between 13% and 42% of

Southeast Asia's animal and plant species could be wiped out within this

century.

 

 

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" Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man

will not himself find peace. " -Albert Schweitzer