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BANGKOK: Thailand is sending astir 1,000 highly endangered lemurs and tortoises backmost to their location successful Madagascar, successful what some countries called their biggest ever cognition against wildlife trafficking.
Thai constabulary recovered and confiscated 1,117 of the unrecorded and dormant animals successful the confederate state of Chumphon successful May -- the kingdom’s largest ever seizure, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Thailand is simply a large transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often merchantability highly-prized endangered creatures connected the lucrative achromatic marketplace successful China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The repatriation of the 963 animals -- ring-tailed lemurs, brownish lemurs, spider tortoises and radiated tortoises -- is simply a “significant step” successful anti-trafficking operations, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chalermchai Sri-on said Wednesday.
“For the archetypal time, wildlife is being repatriated anterior to the decision of ineligible proceedings,“ helium added.
Lemurs, which starred arsenic loveable supporting characters successful the Dreamworks “Madagascar” movies, are recovered lone connected the Indian Ocean island, and experts accidental they are threatened by trafficking into the favored trade.
The furry primates and the tortoises volition beryllium sent to peculiar centres erstwhile they instrumentality to Madagascar, said its situation curate Max Andonirina Fontaine who was successful Thailand to oversee the repatriation.
‘Make a occurrence story’
Six radical were arrested and charged with endangered carnal trafficking successful May, and could look up to 15 years successful situation and beryllium fined 1.5 cardinal baht ($43,000), according to section Thai media.
The 4 species, which are endemic to Madagascar, are listed arsenic near-extinct oregon threatened by the Convention connected the International Trade successful Endangered Species (CITES).
“When 2 countries truly collaborate unneurotic we tin truly marque a occurrence story,“ Fontaine told journalists connected Wednesday.
Thailand is Southeast Asia’s biggest ineligible importer and exporter of CITES-listed wildlife from Madagascar, according to a study from TRAFFIC, a wildlife NGO.
But according to the 2023 report, amerciable trafficking persists and “the existent grade is apt to beryllium greater than those reflected by seizure records alone,“ it says.
Fontaine told AFP it is “difficult” to cognize the existent fig of animals smuggled retired of Madagascar, but that the summation successful seizures reflects improved anti-trafficking efforts.
In 2010, Thai customs authorities seized much than 200 unrecorded endangered tortoises being smuggled into the state from Madagascar.
In June this twelvemonth Thai customs officials arrested six Indian nationals for attempting to smuggle a reddish panda and 86 different animals retired of the kingdom.
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