Many live monitor lizards and turtles as well as wildlife carcasses seized during a recent raid in Suphan Buri province were not used for making meatballs or fish balls, but the meat was destined for eateries along a border area in Trat, police said on Thursday.
Wildlife officials, police from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NED) and local leaders arrested two men and seized 32 live monitor lizards (Varanus salvators), 59 carcasses of monitor lizards, 28 live turtles, carcasses of other protected wild animals and 13 items of equipment used for slaughtering during the raid on a house-cum-illegal slaughterhouse in tambon Ban Sorng of U Thong district on Tuesday. A total of 115 live wildlife and carcasses were seized.
The arresting team identified the suspects only as Mon Nenjathee, 73, and Prasit Lekphet, 67. Both men were charged with colluding in illegal possession of protected animals and illegal trade in wildlife. They were handed over to U Thong police for legal action.
During questioning, the suspects confessed to all charges. They told police that they had purchased live wild animals and wildlife carcasses from residents in Suphan Buri and nearby provinces. They then slaughtered the animals and delivered meat for sale to eateries serving wildlife meat in Trat, which borders Cambodia.
The suspects denied the meat was sent to a factory making fish balls or meatballs as previously reported.
Earlier, a Facebook page posted photos of live monitor lizards and a message that police raided a major fish ball factory that used meat of these animals to make fish balls and animal skin for fried fish crackers for sale across the country. The post was widely shared online.
Some media outlets reported that this slaughterhouse had sent the meat of monitor lizards to a meatball-making factory.