Thai man nabbed with 16 tiger cubs in truck

BANGKOK, Oct 27, 2012 (AFP) - A Thai man has been arrested with 16 tiger cubs in his pick-up truck while driving near the kingdom's border with Laos, police said Saturday.

The 52-year-old was arrested Friday afternoon in Khon Kaen province in northeastern Thailand during a routine check by authorities, who found the cats, aged between six weeks and two months, in cages in the back of the vehicle.

Police said the man was paid 15,000 baht (500 dollars) to transport the tigers from Bangkok, but he denied knowing the identity of the animals' owners.

"He said he only talked to them on the telephone not in person," Lieutenant Colonel Kusol Pongbunchan, chief investigator of the local district police told AFP.

He said the driver faced charges of illegal possession and trafficking of endangered species.

The tigers, which are not thought to have been taken from the wild, were entrusted to officials of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.

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 2012-10-27

they should give him the death penalty, let the tigers parents execute this Wild life trader...

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

"He said he only talked to them on the telephone not in person," Lieutenant Colonel Kusol Pongbunchan, chief investigator of the local district police told AFP.

Someone left the tigers next to a bin for him to pick up? Who exactly was he bringing the tigers to, and how was he going to collect his money?

"He said he only talked to them on the telephone not in person," Lieutenant Colonel Kusol Pongbunchan, chief investigator of the local district police told AFP.

Someone left the tigers next to a bin for him to pick up? Who exactly was he bringing the tigers to, and how was he going to collect his money?

He's bringing them to the "hub"!

Finally they have got one Hub right...one they can do with eyes closed.

He was transporting them but where was he taking them? Are there Chinese buyers for them?

He bought them at the Esso station

Leave him to rot in jail (no bail) until such time as his memory returns.

A serious problem in this country. Alack of respect for just about anything and anybody. It starts in the family and schools and will take generations to chnage this kind of cultural attitude.

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

I agree with your sentiments totally.

On a lighter note,

The reporter was probably a junior type, chained to his desk,feeling tyred and saddled with having to write a boring story on abducted tiger cubs. I am sure he would be happy if he knew who the big wheels behind this crime are and could frame them, but doubtless, he’s not geared up to find that information.

Give him a brake, I am sure he regrets the use of the word hub.

Edited October 27, 201213 yr by ratcatcher

A serious problem in this country. Alack of respect for just about anything and anybody. It starts in the family and schools and will take generations to chnage this kind of cultural attitude.

Yep, unfortunately it all goes out the window if there's a baht on the end of it.

A serious problem in Asia and it will not change all the time there are people willing to pay big money. I hope the lying bastard eventually gives up the people responsible.

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

I also agree. Mind you I'd strip em naked and put em in the parent's cage instead

of prison. Win-win situation...don't have to pay to feed the tigers that day and

don't have to feed the bastard while in prison.

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

I greatly enjoy the image of these scumbags being served up for breakfast to the tigers! Alas, the realities on the ground suggest that the schmuck who got caught with the cubs, will get a few thousand baht fine and his masters will continue their evil business undisturbed. The driver might even get a little bonus later, for keeping his mouth shut.

There seems to be nothing at all that's sacred in this country, except the almighty baht!

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

I also agree. Mind you I'd strip em naked and put em in the parent's cage instead

of prison. Win-win situation...don't have to pay to feed the tigers that day and

don't have to feed the bastard while in prison.

Reminds me of an old joke, about the game park tourists going missing, essentially (insert nationality here that you don't like), go missing, and eventually, where the young keeper says to the warden, the Tiger/Lion ate them. Warden says " how do you know that"?.

Young bloke answers. "See that Tiger over there, licking the other ones arse, just trying to get the bad taste out of his mouth"

Cheers

And of course, the police will never follow through with this investigation, it might lead to some big pawed people. Better just to give this guy a small fine, and everyone will be happy. Thats why these things just keep going on and on, no risk!

I supose the good thing about this was that this was stopped. That's the only positive thing I can say.

Throw him to the cub's parents and in cases like this I also support the death penalty. And I suppose he was paid by phone as well as not knowing who the money man was? At least track these cat nabbers and bury them in some putrid jail for the rest of their days.

And why the hell do reporters keep adding the word 'hub' to everything in Thailand? Are you all that mindless you can't be original?

I agree with your sentiments totally.

On a lighter note,

The reporter was probably a junior type, chained to his desk,feeling tyred and saddled with having to write a boring story on abducted tiger cubs. I am sure he would be happy if he knew who the big wheels behind this crime are and could frame them, but doubtless, he’s not geared up to find that information.

Give him a brake, I am sure he regrets the use of the word hub.

Obviously a Cub Reporter.

Death penalty? You guys have lost your mind. Wrong to traffic endangered animals, yes.... Should he serve jail time? Yes.... But to be killed for driving an animal... well doesn't sound very civilized to me.. A couple years in jail and a nice hefty fine seems sufficient..

Not that the animals get treated much better in the "zoos" here.. Was very disappointed when I visited.

Death penalty? You guys have lost your mind. Wrong to traffic endangered animals, yes.... Should he serve jail time? Yes.... But to be killed for driving an animal... well doesn't sound very civilized to me.. A couple years in jail and a nice hefty fine seems sufficient..

Not that the animals get treated much better in the "zoos" here.. Was very disappointed when I visited.

You have not been around long. You will go through phases, for the first 100 posts you'll be all keen and active in posting, 100-500 you'll challenge and question some of the jaded codgers on TV, from 500-1000 you'll keep trying to convince the idiots to be realistic and proactive in contributions and then finally from 1000 onwards you will realize that TV is saturated by jaded better-than-though westerners that think they all should be PM of Thailand and that the country they live in is not the paradise they came to live in X number of years ago... Problem is, it is them that have changed, not Thailand.... :-)

The major news networks are carrying this as a main news story now.

More deserved bad publicity for Thailand unfortunately.

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one of the places tiger cubs wind up (not necessarily these cubs) is Tiger kingdom in Mae Rim, just north of Chiang Mai. In high season over 1000 farang a day are paying to see these tigers. This is no different than the elephant poaching that goes on to supply the "elephant camps" with baby elephants for the tourists.

The blame doesn't end with the Thais.

they should give him the death penalty, let the tigers parents execute this Wild life trader...

And post it youtube !!

Just imagine the amount of hits this would get !!!

He was transporting them but where was he taking them? Are there Chinese buyers for them?

I would say they were probably destined for chinese medicine

And then the police will track down the kingpin, pocket a nice bribe.........and probably take over the business....unless he is a high ranking police or army officer or connected member of an important family...

According to the Global Black Market Report:

Tiger (dead) $5,000

Tiger (live) $50,000

Edited October 28, 201213 yr by metisdead
: Deleted post edited out.

they should give him the death penalty, let the tigers parents execute this Wild life trader...

And post it youtube !!

Just imagine the amount of hits this would get !!!

Hell why not make it a prime time feature on THE THAI TV NEWS, I find this topic more interesting than the prime minister going to some sacred water ceremony in the South of Thailand..

Death penalty for animal smuggeling!

Yeah right...you totally lost every perspective!

The major news networks are carrying this as a main news story now.

More deserved bad publicity for Thailand unfortunately.

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It would probably go further if they replaced "nabbed" with something likely to attract an adult audience!

More deserved bad publicity for Thailand unfortunately.

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I would disagree, everybody who cares already knows about this problem in SE Asia, arrests means Thailand is tackling the problem.

Nobody took money to look the other way.

Edited October 28, 201213 yr by Basil B