waza Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Australia joins crackdown on animal smuggling Australian and Thai authorities are working together to tackle the vast international trade in live, exotic animals and animal parts. The market is now worth close to $10 billion annually and the Thai capital Bangkok is one of its hubs. Recent seizures include live tiger cubs, thousands of turtles, ivory and ingredients like bear bile, used for traditional medicine. Australian lizards, snakes and birds are also in high demand. At Bangkok's famous Jatujak market, customs police conduct weekly raids. Those who are caught selling without a permit - or worse, selling species on the endangered list - are fined but rarely jailed for the maximum four years. Police say it is not enough to deter them from doing it again. That is because wildlife smuggling is big business. It is in the top five illicit trades, along with counterfeiting, human trafficking and the illegal markets for drugs and oil. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-12-29/australia-thailand-crack-down-animal--smuggling/3750852 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nocturn Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 indeed. a good friend of mine heads this organization based here in Thailand that is very involved in putting a stop to animal trafficking among other things. http://freeland.org/eng/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waza Posted December 31, 2011 Author Share Posted December 31, 2011 (edited) strange how it can operate so openly in BKK Edited December 31, 2011 by waza Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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