
Thai authorities on Wednesday raided a trading company in Nakhon Pathom that has been linked to an unsuccessful attempt to smuggle a gorilla into the country.
The Nakhon Pathom Provincial Court approved a search warrant for TK Farm International Trading in Muang district, following the seizure of the infant gorilla at Istanbul Airport in Turkey.
The gorilla was intercepted during a random search by customs officers during the flight’s transit from Nigeria to Bangkok via Turkey, said Atthapol Charoenchansa, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
The animal was found in a wooden shipping crate and came with no certification from Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). It is now being cared for by veterinarians in Turkey, he said.
The Customs Enforcement Smuggling and Intelligence Directorate at Istanbul Airport made the discovery while tracking a cage-type cargo shipment as part of risk analysis efforts, aimed at protecting wildlife, on Dec 22.
The shipment was said to contain 50 rabbits and was addressed to a destination in Thailand.
According to Mr Atthapol, it is possible that airport workers in both Thailand and Nigeria are involved with the illegal animal trade, while the company in Nakhon Pathom acted as a go-between.
Chatuchak shop
Reports exchanged by Thai and Turkish authorities found the relationship between the smuggled gorilla and TK Farm, according to Pol Maj Gen Watcharin Phusit, the commander of the police Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division.
TK Farm is legally registered as an animal importer and breeder and has a shopfront in the popular Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, he said.
When police and wildlife officers arrived at the farm, owner Siriwat Suphakitkasem told them that an African man, identified only as David, had contacted the company to help him import 50 rabbits a week earlier.
Mr Siriwat, 44, said his company agreed to handle all the import procedures and paperwork for 150,000 baht.
He confirmed that he had taken delivery of 50 rabbits, contained in two crates that he later disposed of. He said he was not aware that the same shipment also contained an infant gorilla.
Officers are preparing to expand the investigation of TK Farm to confirm the registration of other animals found during the search, said Pol Maj Gen Watcharin.
According to Mr Atthapol, gorillas are listed in Appendix I of the of the Cites list. They are banned from being imported to Thailand.
The only gorilla living in Thailand is Bua Noi, who has been confined to a zoo on the top floor of a Bangkok department store for four decades. The owners have rejected countless pleas from animal rights activists to release the animal.
Bua Noi was imported before the ban took effect in 1992, said Mr Atthapol.