Leopard cub smuggled on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to India

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Leopard cub smuggled on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to India

By The Thaiger

 

 

A one month old leopard has been found in a passenger’s hand luggage after landing in Chennai, India after a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. The young leopard was weak and dehydrated when it was discovered.

 

The leopard kitten was hidden in a grocery basket hidden put inside his carry on luggage. At this stage officials haven’t reported the nationality of the passenger or the reasons he was transporting the young leopard in his hand luggage.

 

Passengers reported to officials about sounds coming from the luggage. So customs officials stopped the passenger as he tried to rush out of the Chennai airport terminal.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/leopard-cub-smuggled-on-a-thai-airways-flight-from-bangkok-to-india

 

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2019-02-04

[leeneeds]

One life used up , hope the next part of this cats life will be

free of human contact

[davehowden]

"The leopard kitten was hidden in a grocery basket hidden put inside his carry on luggage. At this stage officials haven’t reported the nationality of the passenger or the reasons he was transporting the young leopard in his hand luggage."

 

Or how it was smuggled through Swampy !!

[ezzra]

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[akirasan]

The guy was Indian and claimed to have bought it in Thailand and was going to raise it before selling it to a circus.

[neeray]

This passenger must be much more adept at fooling security than I am. I've been forced to discard some just-over-the-limit, expensive medical supplies because I failed to obey the rules and pack it in my luggage.

Perhaps he/she is accustomed to slipping some baht into the right hands, something that I avoid.

[George Bowman]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

On my trips through Don Muang, I have noticed one possible flaw in the system...

[stanleycoin]

Got to be an Inside job by airport staff

How reassuring this is all is.

Thailand safe as houses. 

 

 

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that happened right under the nose of the Big Joke.

[holy cow cm]

And the mom tiger is probably dead. 

[DPKANKAN]

2 hours ago, ezzra said:

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depends on how much you pay and who to!!!

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, holy cow cm said:

And the mom tiger is probably dead. 

Erm...

[Maejo Man]

4 hours ago, akirasan said:

The guy was Indian and claimed to have bought it in Thailand and was going to raise it before selling it to a circus.

What's more to the point is where did he buy it?

[hotchilli]

Lots to investigate here, a live animal not found going through the X-ray facility in the passenger search area is a "security breach" of the highest order!

The airport operating authority/ministry of transport must be in overdrive to get to the bottom of this one.

C.A.A must be asking some tough questions too.

Not forgetting India who could if they so wished suspend all Thai flights from Swampy into India until the matter is resolved!

Very embarrassing indeed!

[davehowden]

4 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Lots to investigate here, a live animal not found going through the X-ray facility in the passenger search area is a "security breach" of the highest order!

The airport operating authority/ministry of transport must be in overdrive to get to the bottom of this one.

C.A.A must be asking some tough questions too.

Not forgetting India who could if they so wished suspend all Thai flights from Swampy into India until the matter is resolved!

Very embarrassing indeed!

Clearly a matter deserving of Big Joke's attention !!

[JimmyJ]

Security theater fails again.

5 hours ago, ezzra said:

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another example of TSA and like agencies mainly being security theater.

 

I have to take off my belt, everything out of pockets, glasses have to go thru the machine, shoes at most airports, etc.

 

How can the cub not have been detected - a bribe or as in the picture there is no one watching the screen?

[sammieuk1]

The cub on hearing of its black cousins ending up on the BBQ prompted the escape could be the defence????  

[moe666]

32 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Lots to investigate here, a live animal not found going through the X-ray facility in the passenger search area is a "security breach" of the highest order!

The airport operating authority/ministry of transport must be in overdrive to get to the bottom of this one.

C.A.A must be asking some tough questions too.

Not forgetting India who could if they so wished suspend all Thai flights from Swampy into India until the matter is resolved!

Very embarrassing indeed!

How do you know it didn't go thru the security system just because it wasn't spotted at swampy doesn't mean it didn't get scanned. Lets see some guy in the states carried his gun to Japan and wasn't spotted, he voluntarly reported it in Japan. Stuff get thru it isn't a fail safe system any where

[HappyinNE]

3 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

And the mom tiger is probably dead. 

Tiger mom for a Leopard?  At least check the headline!

[jonclark]

35 minutes ago, JimmyJ said:

Security theater fails again.

 

Another example of TSA and like agencies mainly being security theater.

 

I have to take off my belt, everything out of pockets, glasses have to go thru the machine, shoes at most airports, etc.

 

How can the cub not have been detected - a bribe or as in the picture there is no one watching the screen?

There are two plausible theory's here:

 

1) All the security agents were in on it and looked the other way. which is very risky given the number of passengers and the chaotic nature of going through security and then immigration. Highly likely someone would have raised the alarm. 

 

2) The courier went through security without the cub and then picked it up once inside the departure area, There would have been a single inside facilitator in this who has access to restricted areas, to store and then pass off the cub once the courier passes security. Fewer people involved and less risk. 

 

I have to say that given that survamabhumi is a secure site and is riddled with security cameras it would be incredibly easy to piece together the movements of the courier and the pick up. 

 

But i have no doubt that this is highly embarrassing to AoT and their security apparatus. Whether we hear about it or not someones P45 is definitely in the post.

[holy cow cm]

33 minutes ago, HappyinNE said:

Tiger mom for a Leopard?  At least check the headline!

Ok. Leopard. 

[lvr181]

9 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

Got to be an Inside job by airport staff

How reassuring this is all is.

Thailand safe as houses. 

 

 

Houses of straw!

 

While holding a brown envelope someone has enabled the passage of the Leopard cub.

[trainman34014]

7 hours ago, jonclark said:

There are two plausible theory's here:

 

1) All the security agents were in on it and looked the other way. which is very risky given the number of passengers and the chaotic nature of going through security and then immigration. Highly likely someone would have raised the alarm. 

 

2) The courier went through security without the cub and then picked it up once inside the departure area, There would have been a single inside facilitator in this who has access to restricted areas, to store and then pass off the cub once the courier passes security. Fewer people involved and less risk. 

 

I have to say that given that survamabhumi is a secure site and is riddled with security cameras it would be incredibly easy to piece together the movements of the courier and the pick up. 

 

But i have no doubt that this is highly embarrassing to AoT and their security apparatus. Whether we hear about it or not someones P45 is definitely in the post.

Unlikely anything will ever be heard. Two years ago a Thai 'Tourist' was stopped on arrival in Japan with a loaded Revolver in his luggage. When asked why he was carrying it he said it was for 'protection'.   That Revolver somehow made it's way through the Swampy security system but nobody was ever held to task for it and it was swept under the carpet never to be heard of again.

[overherebc]

11 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

And the mom tiger is probably dead. 

That's what I was thinking.

Just wait till it grows up and then feed the smuggler to it, whole.

[wgdanson]

14 hours ago, ezzra said:

It makes you wonder that if a live cub went through the carry-on luggage without being detected, what else has or can go through without being detected?...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my experience it is not possible. A bottle of make-up  or a block of chocolate shows up. Someone was not looking at the X-Ray screen, purposely or not.