Women Arrested In Thailand With 109 Live Wild Animals in Luggage

Wildlife officials at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport arrested two women from India after 109 live wild animals were found in their samsonite luggage prior to boarding their flight to India.

The animals were found when officials x-rayed the luggage bags of the women, according to Sathon Khong-ngern, head of the wildlife checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi.

There were two white porcupines, two armadillos, 35 turtles, 50 lizards, and 20 snakes in their luggage.

A Thai Airways flight from Suvarnabhumi airport to Chennai airport in India was scheduled to depart with suitcases belonging to Ms. Nithya Raja, 38, and Ms. Zakia Sulthana Ebrahim, 24, both Indian nationals.

They were detained and charged with violating the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019, the Animal Disease Act of 2015, and the Customs Act of 2017.

Suvarnabhumi airport police station was notified so that legal action could be taken against them.

Wildlife officials said that the wild animals are the latest exotic creatures to be smuggled out of Thailand, possibly to be used as pets exposing the loopholes in India’s booming wildlife trade.

The demand for exotic animals in India has increased and animals from Bangkok, Malaysia, and other top tourist destinations in South East Asia are being smuggled into the country.

Two attempts to smuggle wild animals from Thailand were foiled by Chennai customs authorities just last week.
An albino porcupine and a white-lipped tamarin were recovered from the luggage of a passenger arriving from Bangkok.