Thailand Seizes Tigers, Lions In Wildlife Bust

[webfact]

Thailand seizes tigers, lions in wildlife bust

BANGKOK, March 8, 2012 (AFP) - Thai authorities seized more than 200 live animals, including tigers and lions among other rare species, in a raid on an illegal wildlife supplier on Wednesday, police said.

"The owner cannot provide legal documents for the five tigers, so he was charged with violating the Wild Animal Preservation and Protection law," Lieutenant Colonel Adtapon Sudsai of the Nature Crime Police told AFP.

Police said they were verifying the owner's claim that he had the necessary permits for the other animals.

If convicted the suspect -- named as 52-year-old Yutthasak Suthinan -- faces up to four years in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht ($1,300), he said.

As well as the five tigers, police found 13 albino lions, two orangutans, two red pandas, four flamingos and two camels, along with many other species.

The animal protection group Freeland Foundation, quoting Thai police, said the supplier was part of a global network importing protected animals from countries in Africa and elsewhere and breeding them for illegal sale.

The discovery at a compound in eastern Saraburi Province was based on evidence gathered following a raid last month on a house in Bangkok where officers caught four men in the act of chopping up a tiger.

"From our extended investigation into the butcher case, we suspected some animals could come from this place" in Saraburi, said the deputy commander of the Nature Crime Police, Colonal Kiattipong Khawsamang.

Elephant, zebra, wildebeest and lion remains were found last month at the Bangkok home, as well as meat kept in a refrigerator that police and wildlife activists said could have been destined for human consumption.

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 2012-03-08

[Dibbler]

"As well as the five tigers, police found 13 albino lions, two orangutans, two red pandas, four flamingos and two camels, along with many other species."

This raises the obvious questions; How could animals such as these go unnoticed coming into Thailand through Suwannaphum Airport or at a border crossing? Why the busts now, clearly the owner has been in business for some time? Why are foreign NGOs claiming involvement/prior knowledge in an operation that could just as easily have been tipped off to local police by the blokes neighbours?

[sungod]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

[ratcatcher]

Police also found two turtle doves, three French Hens, four calling birds and an exhausted partridge in a pear tree.

[Dibbler]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

[sungod]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

OK Dribbler, I bow to your superior knowledge. My reply was more of a generalisation to your query of how did a NGO know.

FYI Freeland does work hand in hand with many governments in SE Asia. Many authorities in this part of the world do have under staffed/funded wildlife crimes units. Freeland provide technical assistance with funds donated from foreign governments in the form of training these units in wildlife crime, training park rangers, providing intelligence throughout the region and in some cases generally pushing sometimes reluctant police forces in the right direction.

If you had read the report properly you may have noticed that this raid was a direct result of intelligence gained from a previous raid in Bangkok and not the result of noises from the street. Had you actually watched the report on the Thai news you may have noticed that this private zoo was not exactly in a street either. However all this was probably missed in your haste of trying to write a condescending reply in the hope of looking clever where all you actually achieved was making yourself look completely ignorant.

[Dibbler]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

OK Dribbler, I bow to your superior knowledge. My reply was more of a generalisation to your query of how did a NGO know.

FYI Freeland does work hand in hand with many governments in SE Asia. Many authorities in this part of the world do have under staffed/funded wildlife crimes units. Freeland provide technical assistance with funds donated from foreign governments in the form of training these units in wildlife crime, training park rangers, providing intelligence throughout the region and in some cases generally pushing sometimes reluctant police forces in the right direction.

If you had read the report properly you may have noticed that this raid was a direct result of intelligence gained from a previous raid in Bangkok and not the result of noises from the street. Had you actually watched the report on the Thai news you may have noticed that this private zoo was not exactly in a street either. However all this was probably missed in your haste of trying to write a condescending reply in the hope of looking clever where all you actually achieved was making yourself look completely ignorant.

Hadn't intended to be condescending and you needn't be so sensitive!! My point is that these private animal collections have not exactly just turned up in Thailand. In many cases they've been around for a long time. And many of them might be hidden inside factories or warehouses, but many are open and easy to find, or even open to the public, like the Tiger Temple. So whether or not the police have special information from whatever source is often or even mostly irrelevant, and in fact, a lot of information on wildlife provided to the police from members of the public, NGOs or other sources is completely ignored, with the decision to make a raid on a place such as this more likely to be based on politics. What's interesting is who the DNP/police are going after and why. It's great that they are making efforts to close illegal wildlife collections down, it would be better if it were systematic enforcement aimed at going after big dealers, rather than irregular enforcement based on getting back at certain individuals, or a result of pressure to notch up a few successful arrests while maintaining the general status quo.

[Unkomoncents]

Aha! Duly noted: the first correct use of the word "hub" in recent Thai newspaper articles.

Edited March 8, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[Unkomoncents]

It's nice they're following some leads in a serious way after the ting-tong-tiger butchers tried to buy ice covered in blood. Crime in Thailand is often SO brazen and obvious that it's very disheartening to just glance at the local news (and the local news is SUPER super optimistic?!).

[webfact]

Exotic wildlife worth Bt200m found

Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong,

Wisith Chuanpipatpong

The Nation

SARA BURI: -- Thai police yesterday searched a former Chatuchak Market animal vender's house in Sara Buri's Kaeng Khoi district and found 300400 wildlife animals in cages, worth Bt200 million totally.

Pol Maj Gen Norasak Hemnithi, chief of the Crime Suppression Division’s Natural Resources and Environmental Central Investigation Bureau, who led the search, said wildlife trader Thananuwat "Ord Bang Kluay" Boonpherm who was arrested on February 4 pointed the authority to the Sara Buri house suspected to be a place to keep wildlife for trades.

The house belonged to Si Sa Ketnative Yutthasak Sutthinon, 28. Located on an isolated 100rai plot, 20 kilometres off the Mitraparp Highway, it was barb wired, guarded by dogs and had 30 security cameras, linked via Internet to be watched from Bangkok. Inside the police found some 300400 animals of 51 species including five tigers, 13 white lions, 3 pumas, and two red pandas. As Yutthasak couldn't show permits to keep these animals, the officials seized the animals by guarding the place and prohibiting animal transport, pending investigation. Yutthasak was initially charged with operating a zoo without permission and having protected animals in possession without permission - punishable to four years in jail and/or Bt40,000 in fine.

Yutthasak said he used to sell animals at Chatuchak market and a decade ago raised wildlife to open a private zoo. He said he didn't hire veterinarians full time to care for the animals but hired them on casebycase basis. He said the permits were with his father Thanajak Sutthinon who would present the permits to police later. Yutthasak also claimed that the rare animals such as red pandas, pumas and white lions were bought from Africa, Canada and South America.

Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy directorgeneral of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the 300400 animals, mostly CITES and nationallyprotected wildlife, included Tibetoriginated red pandas that even Tibet didn't have any now and 65 Marmoset monkeys - the latter of which could be sold at Bt100,000 per pair.

Theerapat said this place was arrested in 2003 for having 100 wildlife animals of ten species in possession without permission and the court fined the place owner and suspended the jail term, which already expired. It would take three days to check wildlife papers.

-- The Nation 2012-03-09

[FOODLOVER]

Four years does not sound like justice for this type of monkey business.

[Bagwan]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

OK Dribbler, I bow to your superior knowledge. My reply was more of a generalisation to your query of how did a NGO know.

FYI Freeland does work hand in hand with many governments in SE Asia. Many authorities in this part of the world do have under staffed/funded wildlife crimes units. Freeland provide technical assistance with funds donated from foreign governments in the form of training these units in wildlife crime, training park rangers, providing intelligence throughout the region and in some cases generally pushing sometimes reluctant police forces in the right direction.

If you had read the report properly you may have noticed that this raid was a direct result of intelligence gained from a previous raid in Bangkok and not the result of noises from the street. Had you actually watched the report on the Thai news you may have noticed that this private zoo was not exactly in a street either. However all this was probably missed in your haste of trying to write a condescending reply in the hope of looking clever where all you actually achieved was making yourself look completely ignorant.

Does anybody else see the irony of bowing to another's superior knowledge and then telling him that he looks completely ignorant? Thought processes worthy of a Thai politician?

[Galong]

200,000 Baht's worth of animals and just a 40,000 Baht fine... that's an insult to these poor animals. Why does Thailand not take animal suffering/cruelty seriously? What word is stronger than pathetic?

Personally, I would be in favor of the most harsh penalty imaginable... something in line with murder.

[sungod]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

OK Dribbler, I bow to your superior knowledge. My reply was more of a generalisation to your query of how did a NGO know.

FYI Freeland does work hand in hand with many governments in SE Asia. Many authorities in this part of the world do have under staffed/funded wildlife crimes units. Freeland provide technical assistance with funds donated from foreign governments in the form of training these units in wildlife crime, training park rangers, providing intelligence throughout the region and in some cases generally pushing sometimes reluctant police forces in the right direction.

If you had read the report properly you may have noticed that this raid was a direct result of intelligence gained from a previous raid in Bangkok and not the result of noises from the street. Had you actually watched the report on the Thai news you may have noticed that this private zoo was not exactly in a street either. However all this was probably missed in your haste of trying to write a condescending reply in the hope of looking clever where all you actually achieved was making yourself look completely ignorant.

Does anybody else see the irony of bowing to another's superior knowledge and then telling him that he looks completely ignorant? Thought processes worthy of a Thai politician?

Sarcasm old boy,may have gone over your head, not very bright are you

[chrisinth]

SARA BURI: -- Thai police yesterday searched a former Chatuchak Market animal vender's house in Sara Buri's Kaeng Khoi district and found 300400 wildlife animals in cages, worth Bt200 million totally.

Thats a lot of animals. Police might want to extend their investigation into the forestry side as well and check he isn't building a big boat for them!

This could be misconstrued as he might believe in the Myan calendar and is planning for his Noah thing.

Just a thought.

[sparebox2]

Save them from becoming Chinese soup in oyster sauce?

Edited March 9, 2012 by sparebox2

[bbradsby]

So this is the second time caught for same offence, but this time much a bigger operation. The whole crew should be locked up - in their own tiger cages.

[sparebox2]

SARA BURI: -- Thai police yesterday searched a former Chatuchak Market animal vender's house in Sara Buri's Kaeng Khoi district and found 300-400 wildlife animals in cages, worth Bt200 million totally.

Thats a lot of animals. Police might want to extend their investigation into the forestry side as well and check he isn't building a big boat for them!

This could be misconstrued as he might believe in the Myan calendar and is planning for his Noah thing.

Just a thought.

First need to check if the animals come in pairs.

[Wildliferescue]

The man that was arrested yesterday was very well known by DNP and police and had nothing to do with the slaughterhouse in Bangkok, as a matter of fact most species found there such as zebra and wildebeest are not even found at the Sraburi location. Mr Y has been arrested in 2003 for illegal possession of wildlife but was after being found guilty allowed to keep the animals anyhow (...).

This place also made big national news in 2004 and 2005 when it was said that people tried to steal tigers from this house and killed them with poison, two dead poisoned tigers were found in their cages. At this time no one asked for proof of ownership again (...)

Now yesterday the house gets raided again, and the owner claims to have ownership papers, says he breeds, imports and exports wildlife for zoos. He is given 3-5 days to produce the paperwork including CITES paperwork for legal imports of protected wildlife.

Now a few of my questions;

-What "intelligence" will you need to find and raid a house that has been raided twice before with lots of illegal wildlife found?

-How can someone have CITES import papers for protected wildlife while he/she does not have a zoo license?

-As this person has had wildlife registered for the last 8-9 years, why has he never been checked at all? Why suddenly now?

last but not least:

-Why is he given 3-5 days to produce paperwork while a registered wildlife rescue center is given 2 and a half hours, to take the animals away on immediate bases? Is there somehow a double standard here? Or are we witnessing some game?

Edwin Wiek

Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

[allan michaud]

The sad reality is this guy almost certainly only got busted because he didn't pay enough to the right cops. Many of these raids (here and elsewhere) come up empty handed because the local cops were involved and tip off the traders in advance.

[arrowsdawdle]

Exotic wildlife worth Bt200m found

Mayuree Sukyingcharoenwong,

Wisith Chuanpipatpong

The Nation

SARA BURI: -- Thai police yesterday searched a former Chatuchak Market animal vender's house in Sara Buri's Kaeng Khoi district and found 300400 wildlife animals in cages, worth Bt200 million totally.

Pol Maj Gen Norasak Hemnithi, chief of the Crime Suppression Division’s Natural Resources and Environmental Central Investigation Bureau, who led the search, said wildlife trader Thananuwat "Ord Bang Kluay" Boonpherm who was arrested on February 4 pointed the authority to the Sara Buri house suspected to be a place to keep wildlife for trades.

The house belonged to Si Sa Ketnative Yutthasak Sutthinon, 28. Located on an isolated 100rai plot, 20 kilometres off the Mitraparp Highway, it was barb wired, guarded by dogs and had 30 security cameras, linked via Internet to be watched from Bangkok. Inside the police found some 300400 animals of 51 species including five tigers, 13 white lions, 3 pumas, and two red pandas. As Yutthasak couldn't show permits to keep these animals, the officials seized the animals by guarding the place and prohibiting animal transport, pending investigation. Yutthasak was initially charged with operating a zoo without permission and having protected animals in possession without permission - punishable to four years in jail and/or Bt40,000 in fine.

Yutthasak said he used to sell animals at Chatuchak market and a decade ago raised wildlife to open a private zoo. He said he didn't hire veterinarians full time to care for the animals but hired them on casebycase basis. He said the permits were with his father Thanajak Sutthinon who would present the permits to police later. Yutthasak also claimed that the rare animals such as red pandas, pumas and white lions were bought from Africa, Canada and South America.

Theerapat Prayurasiddhi, deputy directorgeneral of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the 300400 animals, mostly CITES and nationallyprotected wildlife, included Tibetoriginated red pandas that even Tibet didn't have any now and 65 Marmoset monkeys - the latter of which could be sold at Bt100,000 per pair.

Theerapat said this place was arrested in 2003 for having 100 wildlife animals of ten species in possession without permission and the court fined the place owner and suspended the jail term, which already expired. It would take three days to check wildlife papers.

-- The Nation 2012-03-09

Let's see, $6.6 million value, okay, let's fine him $1,300.

[arrowsdawdle]

There is more than one way to eliminate the competition.

[arrowsdawdle]

I think you will find Freeland work hand in hand with the authorities providing techincal assistnce.

The police would hardly need "technical assistance" from an NGO to confirm that lions and camels were in being held in someone's private open zoo! All you'd need is for someone in the street to notice the noises coming from the property were slightly different from the usual pets people keep. I think you'll find the police knew this guy had animals for some time, and only now have they decided to act. I'll bet the owner is at odds with the Director-General of the Department of National Parks. Since this guy came to the post a few months ago, DNP raided a number of other private zoos and animal nurseries. Payback time perhaps?

OK Dribbler, I bow to your superior knowledge. My reply was more of a generalisation to your query of how did a NGO know.

FYI Freeland does work hand in hand with many governments in SE Asia. Many authorities in this part of the world do have under staffed/funded wildlife crimes units. Freeland provide technical assistance with funds donated from foreign governments in the form of training these units in wildlife crime, training park rangers, providing intelligence throughout the region and in some cases generally pushing sometimes reluctant police forces in the right direction.

If you had read the report properly you may have noticed that this raid was a direct result of intelligence gained from a previous raid in Bangkok and not the result of noises from the street. Had you actually watched the report on the Thai news you may have noticed that this private zoo was not exactly in a street either. However all this was probably missed in your haste of trying to write a condescending reply in the hope of looking clever where all you actually achieved was making yourself look completely ignorant.

Don't make me stop this car!

[anterian]

did he use DHL or Fedex?

[annabel]

Absolutely !!!! Thanks Edwin for posting this !! ... and why don't any of you here on TV seem to know about what is happening to WFFT And ENP (Elephant Nature Park ) and the super cool caring people at DNP ( Department of Natural Parks ) ... please not to be confused with the honourable people at ENP ...... You all live here and criticize everything and yet know nothing but talk and post like you are all genius' of the 21st Century and what happens in Thailand ..... Really irkes me ... IF YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMAL LOVER PLEASE SPARE ME AND OTHER ANIMAL LOVERS THE AGONY OF READING YOUR IGNORANT AND UNSYMPATHETIC CRUDE REPLIES. JUST KEEP QUIET AND MOVE ONTO ANOTHER TOPIC

The man that was arrested yesterday was very well known by DNP and police and had nothing to do with the slaughterhouse in Bangkok, as a matter of fact most species found there such as zebra and wildebeest are not even found at the Sraburi location. Mr Y has been arrested in 2003 for illegal possession of wildlife but was after being found guilty allowed to keep the animals anyhow (...).

This place also made big national news in 2004 and 2005 when it was said that people tried to steal tigers from this house and killed them with poison, two dead poisoned tigers were found in their cages. At this time no one asked for proof of ownership again (...)

Now yesterday the house gets raided again, and the owner claims to have ownership papers, says he breeds, imports and exports wildlife for zoos. He is given 3-5 days to produce the paperwork including CITES paperwork for legal imports of protected wildlife.

Now a few of my questions;

-What "intelligence" will you need to find and raid a house that has been raided twice before with lots of illegal wildlife found?

-How can someone have CITES import papers for protected wildlife while he/she does not have a zoo license?

-As this person has had wildlife registered for the last 8-9 years, why has he never been checked at all? Why suddenly now?

last but not least:

-Why is he given 3-5 days to produce paperwork while a registered wildlife rescue center is given 2 and a half hours, to take the animals away on immediate bases? Is there somehow a double standard here? Or are we witnessing some game?

Edwin Wiek

Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

[annabel]

There is more than one way to eliminate the competition.

Competition ....?? WTH...?? So DNP is cometing with who...?? Nothing to compete with ... just bruised egos they are ... and big ones that too = Revenge /// that's all it is !!

[Dibbler]

So the facts are now clear. The first report (of 8 March) claims “intelligence” gained from a raid last month helped police to bust Mr Y in Saraburi. But wait a moment, the busts were unrelated and according to a senior official in the second report (of 9 March), Mr Y was already well-known to the DNP, having been arrested and prosecuted for a previous wildlife offence in 2003 well before any foreign organization had dreamt up the idea of collaboration with Thailand’s finest on wildlife enforcement.

How do you conceal several hundred wild animals including internationally protected species from your neighbours and local authorities on a rural property guarded like Fort Knox without having a zoo licence? The answer is you stay very quiet, keep everybody well fed (including the animals), and otherwise wait until the police are put under pressure to make an arrest, then hope it’s not you who goes down, or that a legitimate wildlife rescue centre that runs on donations and volunteers takes the heat first. Unfortunately, like the Wheel of Fortune, after 9 years his time had come again to be checked. Perhaps some jail time (this time not suspended) might discourage him from trading?

The lesson learned here is we need to consider all the facts before accepting what we read in articles written by third parties about wildlife trade in Thailand, since writers may simply be using the local papers to place carefully crafted articles that make certain people look good, or at least justify their existence. It would be really laughable that a measure of their success could be the number of busts reported in the Thai press. Sad, but possibly very true.

To Sungod, it’s unnecessary to call other members names or insult their intelligence just because they question the facts in an article you happen to have a vested interest in (if in doubt check Forum Rules # 1 and comply, or find another forum to rant in).

[BigJohnnyBKK]

The sad reality is this guy almost certainly only got busted because he didn't pay enough to the right cops. Many of these raids (here and elsewhere) come up empty handed because the local cops were involved and tip off the traders in advance.

And the fact that the NGOs are sponsored by foreign governments, when people with high enough influence put pressure on the right people occasionally exceptions are made to the mainstream corrupt modus operandi.

They are most likely in reality just "scapegoat" examples and not get at the root of the problem. Money rules 99.999% of the time, and unfortunately that is as true for the forces of light as it is for those of darkness.

But certainly a step in the right direction.

To those calling "hang 'em high", keep in mind there are few people of worldly importance in Thailand - outside the Buddhist temples - that put much value on the lives of common humans, much less that of any animals.

[MILT]

Absolutely !!!! Thanks Edwin for posting this !! ... and why don't any of you here on TV seem to know about what is happening to WFFT And ENP (Elephant Nature Park ) and the super cool caring people at DNP ( Department of Natural Parks ) ... please not to be confused with the honourable people at ENP ...... You all live here and criticize everything and yet know nothing but talk and post like you are all genius' of the 21st Century and what happens in Thailand ..... Really irkes me ... IF YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMAL LOVER PLEASE SPARE ME AND OTHER ANIMAL LOVERS THE AGONY OF READING YOUR IGNORANT AND UNSYMPATHETIC CRUDE REPLIES. JUST KEEP QUIET AND MOVE ONTO ANOTHER TOPIC

The man that was arrested yesterday was very well known by DNP and police and had nothing to do with the slaughterhouse in Bangkok, as a matter of fact most species found there such as zebra and wildebeest are not even found at the Sraburi location. Mr Y has been arrested in 2003 for illegal possession of wildlife but was after being found guilty allowed to keep the animals anyhow (...).

This place also made big national news in 2004 and 2005 when it was said that people tried to steal tigers from this house and killed them with poison, two dead poisoned tigers were found in their cages. At this time no one asked for proof of ownership again (...)

Now yesterday the house gets raided again, and the owner claims to have ownership papers, says he breeds, imports and exports wildlife for zoos. He is given 3-5 days to produce the paperwork including CITES paperwork for legal imports of protected wildlife.

Now a few of my questions;

-What "intelligence" will you need to find and raid a house that has been raided twice before with lots of illegal wildlife found?

-How can someone have CITES import papers for protected wildlife while he/she does not have a zoo license?

-As this person has had wildlife registered for the last 8-9 years, why has he never been checked at all? Why suddenly now?

last but not least:

-Why is he given 3-5 days to produce paperwork while a registered wildlife rescue center is given 2 and a half hours, to take the animals away on immediate bases? Is there somehow a double standard here? Or are we witnessing some game?

Edwin Wiek

Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

I cannot comment on the WTTF as I do not know about them until they were raided. As far as Elephant Nature Park I do know all about Lek and her BS story. There is nothing honorable about Lek. I have known her for 16 years. Her base story of how Elephant Nature Park was started is not true. I can prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt! Elephant nature Park is just a glorified elephant camp with a twist that brings in huge dollars. There has never been a background check on her story not one to date. She has no local support, but has managed to con the international community. The people that flock to her to be a part of her scam maybe honorable at heart but they have been mislead. Like I said I have known Lek and her family before they were ever involved with elephants. I knew her mom and know her Father and siblings. I hope the truth will come out about Elephant Nature Park. Her constant negative diatribe about elephant camps and corrupt government is now coming back to bite her. From 1996 to 2000 Elephant Nature Park was a elephant camp. That's right it was not a NGO.

Lek and her ex husband Adan Flynn parted from Leks family and took the name and the logo and create the NGO. Her base story is not true. I could go on and on and yes I can back up every word with photos and documentation. Just ask her family if Lek is telling the truth.

Here is a question? How easy could it be to buy healthy elephants and create a abuse story? Lek is fighting to save 8 elephants and has said publicly "put me in jail but don't remove my elephants" The elephants that the DNP have confiscated are in a great environment, even better than where they were. I fully support the DNP it is about time that corrupt NGO's are look at. Maybe Lek will get her wish

[Dibbler]

Absolutely !!!! Thanks Edwin for posting this !! ... and why don't any of you here on TV seem to know about what is happening to WFFT And ENP (Elephant Nature Park ) and the super cool caring people at DNP ( Department of Natural Parks ) ... please not to be confused with the honourable people at ENP ...... You all live here and criticize everything and yet know nothing but talk and post like you are all genius' of the 21st Century and what happens in Thailand ..... Really irkes me ... IF YOU ARE NOT AN ANIMAL LOVER PLEASE SPARE ME AND OTHER ANIMAL LOVERS THE AGONY OF READING YOUR IGNORANT AND UNSYMPATHETIC CRUDE REPLIES. JUST KEEP QUIET AND MOVE ONTO ANOTHER TOPIC

The man that was arrested yesterday was very well known by DNP and police and had nothing to do with the slaughterhouse in Bangkok, as a matter of fact most species found there such as zebra and wildebeest are not even found at the Sraburi location. Mr Y has been arrested in 2003 for illegal possession of wildlife but was after being found guilty allowed to keep the animals anyhow (...).

This place also made big national news in 2004 and 2005 when it was said that people tried to steal tigers from this house and killed them with poison, two dead poisoned tigers were found in their cages. At this time no one asked for proof of ownership again (...)

Now yesterday the house gets raided again, and the owner claims to have ownership papers, says he breeds, imports and exports wildlife for zoos. He is given 3-5 days to produce the paperwork including CITES paperwork for legal imports of protected wildlife.

Now a few of my questions;

-What "intelligence" will you need to find and raid a house that has been raided twice before with lots of illegal wildlife found?

-How can someone have CITES import papers for protected wildlife while he/she does not have a zoo license?

-As this person has had wildlife registered for the last 8-9 years, why has he never been checked at all? Why suddenly now?

last but not least:

-Why is he given 3-5 days to produce paperwork while a registered wildlife rescue center is given 2 and a half hours, to take the animals away on immediate bases? Is there somehow a double standard here? Or are we witnessing some game?

Edwin Wiek

Founder

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT)

I cannot comment on the WTTF as I do not know about them until they were raided. As far as Elephant Nature Park I do know all about Lek and her BS story. There is nothing honorable about Lek. I have known her for 16 years. Her base story of how Elephant Nature Park was started is not true. I can prove this beyond a shadow of a doubt! Elephant nature Park is just a glorified elephant camp with a twist that brings in huge dollars. There has never been a background check on her story not one to date. She has no local support, but has managed to con the international community. The people that flock to her to be a part of her scam maybe honorable at heart but they have been mislead. Like I said I have known Lek and her family before they were ever involved with elephants. I knew her mom and know her Father and siblings. I hope the truth will come out about Elephant Nature Park. Her constant negative diatribe about elephant camps and corrupt government is now coming back to bite her. From 1996 to 2000 Elephant Nature Park was a elephant camp. That's right it was not a NGO.

Lek and her ex husband Adan Flynn parted from Leks family and took the name and the logo and create the NGO. Her base story is not true. I could go on and on and yes I can back up every word with photos and documentation. Just ask her family if Lek is telling the truth.

Here is a question? How easy could it be to buy healthy elephants and create a abuse story? Lek is fighting to save 8 elephants and has said publicly "put me in jail but don't remove my elephants" The elephants that the DNP have confiscated are in a great environment, even better than where they were. I fully support the DNP it is about time that corrupt NGO's are look at. Maybe Lek will get her wish

This discussion has gone off topic. We are discussing wildlife trade enforcement and NGOs claiming involvement in this issue. Elephant camps are an interesting point for discussion but that should be done elsewhere