BANGKOK, Thailand - Airport customs in Thailand have found a two-month-old tiger stashed in a bag which was checked in for an international passenger flight, authorities say.
Tiger populations in Asia are under constant threat by poaching and illegal trade.
Wildlife groups continue to lobby governments there to increase monitoring and enforce tougher penalties.
"We applaud all the agencies that came together to uncover this brazen smuggling attempt," deputy regional director for wildlife trade monitors TRAFFIC Chris Shepherd said.
"They obviously think wildlife smuggling is something easy to get away with."
Source: Reuters
- The dazed and drugged cub was concealed in an oversized bag packed with stuffed tiger toys and bound for Iran when it was discovered by Thai authorities using an X-ray machine at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport sometimes this week.
- A 31-year-old Thai woman was detained for questioning and was unable to explain why there was a real tiger in the bag.
- "The woman trying to check in the oversized bag denied any knowledge of the tiger. She said she was carrying it for someone else," Nirat Nipanand, an airport customs official in charge of tracking animals, told Reuters.
- An investigation is underway and DNA samples will be taken to determine the species of the cub, which had been sedated with anti-depressants.
- Tests will also be carried out to determine whether the animal was caught in the wild or bred in captivity.
Tiger populations in Asia are under constant threat by poaching and illegal trade.Wildlife groups continue to lobby governments there to increase monitoring and enforce tougher penalties.
"We applaud all the agencies that came together to uncover this brazen smuggling attempt," deputy regional director for wildlife trade monitors TRAFFIC Chris Shepherd said.
"They obviously think wildlife smuggling is something easy to get away with."
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