Illegal orangutan trading in Thailand exposed--encourage further raids, tighter laws

December 2003

Dear IPPL E-Alert List member:

Thai wildlife officials have been raiding animal dealers' premises in October and November 2003. These raids have received wide press coverage in Thailand and on Internet lists.

On 30 October 2003, the Bangkok newspaper Nation carried a call by Khun Plodprasop Suraswadi, Permanent Secretary at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, for Thailand to follow China's lead and institute the death penalty for those who hunt and traffic wildlife.

He was referring to a raid conducted on 28 October 2003 on the premises of Nonthaburi resident Luethai Tiewchareon. Forestry officials and police had seized carcasses of tigers and bears, destined for the restaurant and medical trades, and some live tiger and bear cubs.

In another raid police seized two live orangutans. One of the baby orangutans was extremely sick and later died. Later two more infant orangutans were seized.

A major raid took place on 3 November 2003 at another home in Nonthaburi. Thanajak Suthinunt owned this one. Hundreds of live exotic birds were confiscated. Sadly, a baby orangutan less than six months old was found in the animal trader's freezer. The photo of this tiny corpse made front-page news in Thailand. Khun Chawann Tunhikorn, director of Thailand's Wildlife Conservation Office, which organized the raids, commented that he believed that the dead orangutan had been smuggled into Thailand from Indonesia by the same people who imported the two babies confiscated a few days earlier.

Other confiscations involved wildlife offered for sale at Chatujak Market which is held every weekend in Bangkok.

The 5 November 2003 issue of the Nation carried an editorial by Pennapa Hongthong about the tragedy, emphasizing the traffic in orangutans. Extracts follow.

"Being protective of their young, orangutan mothers always keep their babies within reach, not only to feed them with milk but also to prevent them from getting lost in the treetops where they reside. It is impossible for humans to climb up a tree as high as 30 metres to grab a baby from its mother. And it is impossible that an orangutan mother would give away her child without a fight.

The truth is, the only way to take a baby orangutan is to shoot the mother. The large size and slow movements of the species make it an easy target for hunters. However, sometimes things don't go as planned. Many baby orangutans have been accidentally shot as well, or die from falling to the ground together with their dying mothers.

An orangutan mother has only one baby at a time. To take one baby as a cute pet - worth up to 500,000 baht ($12,500 U.S. dollars) - at least one mother must be killed.

The International Primate Protection League, a United States-based conservation organisation, say they have information that six baby orangutans were shipped to Thailand two months ago.

It is believed that members of a wildlife-trade racket entered the habitat of the orangutans and shot their mothers dead. The babies were then smuggled to Thailand on a fishing boat from Indonesia to Samut Sakhon harbour. They must have been kept in a dark and damp room in the boat's hull. Some probably died on the way while the survivors slipped into Thailand without passing a customs checkpoint. If the three remaining babies in the recent shipment are not found, where will they end up?"

Later raids focused on Safari World (see their web site at http://safariworld.com) - no less than 116 orangutans were found at this facility. According to the Thai press, 44 were "legal." However, there is no way to acquire even 44 orangutans legally. Thailand has been a member of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) since April 1983 and Safari World was not founded till 1988. Orangutans are listed on Appendix I of CITES and ALL commercial trade is banned. IPPL suspects that Mr. Pin, the owner of Safari World, plans to sell some of these orangutans to Chinese zoos on fraudulent (made-at-home or obtained from sleazy government officials) "captive-born" papers.

Thailand has never taken wildlife crime seriously. The government issues periodic "amnesties" so that all owners of wildlife will be "forgiven" if they declare their "loot."

WHAT YOU CAN DO

IPPL requests animal friends to send COURTEOUS letters or holiday cards to the Thai officials whose addresses are listed below. The Queen of Thailand is wildlife-friendly and can really help. Postage from the U.S. to Thailand costs 80 cents per ounce. Here are some suggested talking points:

1. Applaud the raids on animal dealers and zoos, and request that they continue.
2. Request that Thai laws be strengthened to punish wildlife criminals.
3. Urge that these laws be strictly enforced.
4. Request that those in possession of smuggled wildlife be punished with long-term prison sentences, not given periodic "amnesties."

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit of Thailand
Royal Grand Palace
Na Phralan Road, Phra Nakhon
Bangkok, Thailand

Mr. Somchai Piensstarporn, Director General
Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Phaholyothin Road, Jatujak
Bangkok 10900, Thailand

His Excellency Mr. Sakthip Krairiksh
Ambassador of Thailand to the United States
Royal Thai Embassy
1024 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Suite 401
Washington, DC 20007, USA
Fax: 202 944-3611

For other Thai Embassy addresses go to www.traveller 2000.com/thailand/embassies_worldwide.htm

Letters to the Prime Minister commending the raids would also be appreciated. Bring to his notice how interested people all over the world are in Thailand and the nation's wild animals. Mention that the illegal wildlife trade is damaging Thailand's reputation and may possibly hurt the tourist trade.

H.E. Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra
The Prime Minister, Government House
Nakorn Pathom Road, Dusit, Bangkok 13000
Thailand

Dr. Shirley McGreal, Chairwoman International Primate Protection League
POB 766, Summerville SC 29484-0766, USA
Ph. 843-871-2280 Fax. 843-871-7988 E-mail: smcgreal@ippl.org
Website www.ippl.org
"We need not think alike to love alike." Francis David