Thai Police Bust Bangkok Rare Wildlife 'Butchers'

[webfact]

Thai police bust Bangkok rare wildlife 'butchers'

BANGKOK, February 6, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police busted a grisly exotic wildlife slaughterhouse in Bangkok when officers caught four men in the act of chopping up a tiger in a residential home, officials said Monday.

Elephant, zebra, wildebeest and lion remains were also found at the suburban property as well as meat kept in a refrigerator that police and wildlife activists said was likely to be destined for human consumption.

"We assume that the meat is from tigers because we found tiger skin and heads. From what I've seen, I think it's two tigers," Thai Nature Crime Police Commander, Police Colonel Norasak Hemnithi, told AFP.

He said police arrested seven men and are hunting another, believed to be the owner of an exotic animal restaurant in Bangkok, which has operated in the capital for a decade.

"We believe that this butchers house is mainly to provide orders for the restaurant, but those arrested said they sometimes shipped meat and stuffed animals to China," he added.

Wildlife anti-trafficking group Freeland, which often works with the Thai police on operations, said local police chanced on the gruesome scene after encountering a man whose hands were covered in blood in Bangkok's Yannawa district.

"Police escorted the man back to a residential building and discovered four others in the midst of chopping up a 400 kilogramme (880 pound) male tiger," the group said.

Freeland director Steven Galster said the group believes some of the animals were "bred in, or laundered through, private zoos in Thailand".

Norasak said he thought the tigers might have been from the wild, but other animals could have been from private zoos.

The arrested men could face four years in jail for the illegal processing of wild and protected animals, he added.

Thailand, a hub of international smuggling, is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations. Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-02-06

[webfact]

Thai police undercover wildlife slaughterhouse

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok police discovered a slaughterhouse that specialized in butchering and stuffing tigers, zebras, elephants, crocodiles and wild buffalo, an anti-trafficking group said Monday.

Police raided the site in the capital’s Yannawa district Saturday and interrupted four men in the process of chopping up a 400-kilogram male tiger, FREELAND director Steven Galster said.

"We suspect some of the animals were bred in, or laundered through, private zoos in Thailand," he said.

Eight people were arrested.

Colonel Norasak Hemnithi, nature crime police commander, vowed to pursue the head of the operation.

Police believe the stuffed wildlife was destined for China.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

[Soupdragon]

He said police arrested seven men and are hunting another, believed to be the owner of an exotic animal restaurant in Bangkok, which has operated in the capital for a decade.

Operating for a decade an no one asks where the steaks come from ???

Thailand, a hub of international smuggling

Hubba Hubba at last a real hub.

[TAWP]

Can we get mugshots of this scum?

[gopnarak]

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

[JeremyBowskill]

No tourists to blame this Sh*t on???

[Reasonableman]

Whose fault is it, pray tell? One should ignore trolls, but it gets harder as time goes on.

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Reasonableman

[monty1412]

Four years.... why not life and send a right thorough message...... sort if strange following a man with blood on his hands.....doesnt sort of make sense.. why would any man go out like that if he's engaged in illegal action ...

[weka]

I know a thai guy last month sentenced to 6 years jail for less than a gram of ya baa (true, I've seen the charge sheet).

Hope and pray these people get more than 4... but doubt it.

Not trying to infer anything, just hope someone in the judiciary sees the relevance

[Unkomoncents]

That's the correct use of the word 'hub', which Thais like so much and is a topic of much discussion on this forum. Thailand is a 'hub' of all kinds of illicit activities but mostly drug and human trafficking, and for that matter, trafficking of basically all varieties, as well as prostitution. The latter is a constant source comedy. It's hilarious because most Thais wear their clothes into the ocean so when the world knows such a country for prostitution, you know things have gotten a bit hairy.

[gopnarak]

Whose fault is it, pray tell? One should ignore trolls, but it gets harder as time goes on.

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

Natural areas where real wildlife exist and can survive in their own habitat become smaller and smaller.

Just look at the palm oil, biofuel - orangutans connection in Indonesia. That is the real threat and not the odd orangutan bordello or an restaurant that serves exotic meat.

[Reasonableman]

They are all responsible, to varying degrees. The restaurants contribute to the problem. They are not completely innocent, as your original statement implied.

Whose fault is it, pray tell? One should ignore trolls, but it gets harder as time goes on.

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

Natural areas where real wildlife exist and can survive in their own habitat become smaller and smaller.

Just look at the palm oil, biofuel - orangutans connection in Indonesia. That is the real threat and not the odd orangutan bordello or an restaurant that serves exotic meat.

[pacovl46]

Death penalty, please!!!

[pacovl46]

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

It's the fault of the <snip> who go to such restaurants and order tiger meat (no demand, no market) and people from certain countries who think that ground up tiger genitals will give them a proper hard on instead of popping a viagra.

Edited February 6, 2012 by metisdead
Disguised pr*fanity removed.

[DP25]

Aside from tigers, you can easily buy stuffed versions of all the animals listed in the article in the US. You can even buy lion meat on the internet.

[Pib]

He said police arrested seven men and are hunting another, believed to be the owner of an exotic animal restaurant in Bangkok, which has operated in the capital for a decade.

Operating for a decade an no one asks where the steaks come from ???

Just keep the right govt/police/mafia folks paid-off and many illegal activities can continue on. TIT

[Fantastic5]

Deforestation, exesive hunting, drastically reduces number of these animals. Hunting was a majer contributer to the sudden reduce in numbers and continues to contribute to the instability of indanged spieces.

I have met poachers and if they are profiting from the exotic restaurants trade, then they are profiting from the demand from china and other places for made up traditional medicines.

This eligal hunting is very dangerous to the survival of these species and they also target nature reserves.

I would be in favour of the death penalty as a punishment for such crimes, I find it quite sadaning that humans have placed the value of are lives so much higher than that of the planet, and every other life form on it. There are so many people that would be in favour of the death penalty for the merder of a fellow person of which there are plenty of, in fact to many off, but to contribute to the extinction and diabolical slighter of anything els is almost tolerable and should be forgiven.

Edited February 6, 2012 by Fantastic5

[gopnarak]

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

That is not the fault of "exotic" meat restaurants.

It's the fault of the <snip> who go to such restaurants and order tiger meat (no demand, no market) and people from certain countries who think that ground up tiger genitals will give them a proper hard on instead of popping a viagra.

Meanwhile its true that tiger parts are used in a traditional medicine, Its mostly for dozens of other reasons than to improve the sex life.

And the part tiger products play in that traditional medicine is totally tiny. Mostly it are just herbal mixtures.

Just a century ago there were plenty tigers around like all thousands of years before that. Now in moderns times old habits suddenly become the reason that these animals face extinction? Nonsense.

Wildlife becomes extinct because the Chinese people eat them all - a xenophobic and racist argument.

(no demand - no market)? be it illegal private zoos or illegal meat restaurant. Thats a market that have also interests to keep a population of tigers alive. no products, no business.

I am not saying that i support this, but if there were no meat restaurants and everyone understands that "tiger medicine" will not help nor heal anyhow - the situation for tigers will not drastically improve and the extinction threat will not disappear nor will we have 100,000 tigers again in the next century.

[Reasonableman]

Agree with your sentiment 100%! Whatever happened to ZPG? Humans have been far too successful, and at a tragic cost to the planet.

Deforestation, exesive hunting drastically refused number, hunting was a mager contributer to the sudden reduce in numbers and continues to contribute to the instability of indanged spieces.

I have met poachers ant if they are profiting from the exotic restaurants trade, then they are profiting from the diamond from china and other places for made up traditional medicines.

This eligal hunting is very dangerous to the survival of these species and they also target nature reserves.

I would be in favour of the death penalty as a punishment for such crimes, I find it quite sadaning that humans have placed the value of are lives so much higher than that of the planet, and every other life form on it. There are so many people that would be in favour of the death penalty for the merder of a fellow person of which there are plenty of, in fact to many off, but to contribute to the extinction and diabolical slighter of anything els is almost tolerable and should be forgiven.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.

[rubl]

Where was the police in 2005?

"Exotic Meat on the menu at Zoo buffet"

http://www.slashfood.com/2005/11/19/exotic-meat-on-the-menu-at-zoo-buffet/

[supaprik]

That's the correct use of the word 'hub', which Thais like so much and is a topic of much discussion on this forum. Thailand is a 'hub' of all kinds of illicit activities but mostly drug and human trafficking, and for that matter, trafficking of basically all varieties, as well as prostitution. The latter is a constant source comedy. It's hilarious because most Thais wear their clothes into the ocean so when the world knows such a country for prostitution, you know things have gotten a bit hairy.

Or shaven depending on your preference....

[Fantastic5]

Gobnarak, yes, no demand no product. Education is very important I combating any problem, especially one as saviour s this one, but there are a large amount of people who welcome ignorance and have no interest in learning new ways. I remember trying to explain to my brother in law that he could not treat a tooth ach with a mild steroid and laxative mix that he had claimed had worked before, no mater how I explained it to him or what I showed him, he insisted that it was the cocktail that had solved his problem before, traditional ignorance, in many situations people are not going to chance no mater how you intend to educate them.

But you see, if I where to go to a chemist who supplies such a cocktail and shoot him dead then say "if any other chemist is caught selling such a cocktail they will also be shot" then chemists will think twice about it and the more that are caught and executed the more that will decide the risk is just not worth it.

Although my example is a bit extreme, when it comes down to the survival of a spieces, terror tactics might just be what is needed.

Yep people have been hunting to eat from day man has existed, but there where not so many of us, demand was not as high and people new how to economise, we took what we needed with respect. Now days people take what they can.

Most spieces started to realy decline when western colonies used to hunt for sport, I had a picture of a British king with 100 trophies of tigers he had shot in one weekend when in India, then it continues, that's just a quick example.

Another was when there was no export restrictions on snakes from Thailand, it was discovered that around Asia, consumption of snakes where/are favored, so people hunted snakes to such a extent that the rat population grew to such a point the government put a immediate ban on all live and restricted the export of dead snake to license under strict circumstances, then the number grew again. That was not due to deforestation at all and again people have been hunting for food from the binging of time but...

Edited February 6, 2012 by Fantastic5

[CHANGOVER]

Where was the police in 2005?

"Exotic Meat on the menu at Zoo buffet"

http://www.slashfood...-at-zoo-buffet/

Yes I do believe Mr T had a large hand/fist in that.

But his human rights record isn't a patch on the lack of animal rights.

[CHANGOVER]

I'm sure Thai animal poacher tastes exactly the same a chicken, please put it on the menu next to the khao man gai at half price!

[Footloose1949]

There are more Tigers owned as pets (4000+!!!) in Texas alone, than in the wild. Tibet and counties next to it are in the process of developing a 'wild Tiger enviroment/reserve' which crosses their borders. The population of Bangal Tigers is pretty close to the brink of extinction too. Such beautiful animals, and sadly, transferring 'Urbanised/Zoo-bred' Tigers back into the wild, seems to be nigh-on impossible, (Just in case anyone thought that might be a solution) though if the cross-borders reserve works, maybe there is a glimmer of hope.

[janverbeem]

I heard about a restaurant adjacent to a night safari which is serving exotic meats and the owner is in the current government .......oops I didn't hear anything.

[kawaiimomo]

4 years is very slight sentence compared to others sentences you can get for doing IMO crimes not as bad as this one. Anyway, I would gladly pay 10k to have a soup from one of those lowlifes (probably not tasty at all but you know, we need to pay them as exotic/luxury food so they will be hunted down)

[webfact]

Zoos to be checked after tiger skins and carcasses found

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A blanket inspection of tigers in zoos and other captive animals has been ordered in the wake of a fresh seizure of tiger skins and carcasses and other protected wildlife from a major smuggler at a Bangkok home.

An official from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) said the skinned tigers could have been obtained from one of the zoos. So, the inspection, when done, would reveal a head-count and other details of animals at all premises and likely evidence of any that had gone missing.

Deputy director-general Theeraphat Prayoonsitthi said DNA checks of tigers was not viable as an inspection measure, as only a few had been collected to date under a DNP project at Huay Kha Khaeng wildlife reserve in Kanchanaburi.

Tiger skins and carcasses along with meat from elephants, zebras and lions were found at the house. Seven suspects implicated a man known as Od Bang Kruay as the trader and smuggler behind the slaughter. They allege that he took orders from foreign buyers - to provide them with the meat and skins.

There are around one million protected or wild creatures in zoos and private enclosures in Thailand, but 80 per cent of them are birds and avian species. Around 300 zoos have permission to keep tigers and other felines.

-- The Nation 2012-02-07

[Reasonableman]

Of course, only foreign buyers...