Monday

16 tiger cubs are rescued from being killed and turned into traditional Chinese medicine

A man driving a pick-up truck was arrested at the Thai border last week, after he attempted to smuggle 16 tiger cubs into Laos. The driver had avoided a checkpoint, and when police stopped the vehicle they discovered the animals packed into eight cages at the back of the truck.

From The Daily Mail:

The driver, Faren Kongfu, told police he was paid 15,000 baht (£300) to deliver the cubs from a Bangkok suburb to northeastern Udon Thani province on the border with Laos.

Police believe the tigers were destined to be exported illegally from Thailand – a smuggling hub for protected animals.

There is an illegal trade in the country of these animals and wildlife parts which are often used for traditional east Asian medicines.

Kongfu faces a possible four-year jail term and 40,000 baht (£808) fine on wildlife smuggling-related charges.

The cubs were taken away to be cared for by wildlife officials in Khon Kaen, northeastern Thailand.


According to the BBC, Kongfu did not know the names of the people who gave him the tigers. So this man will be punished, as he should be, but he is only a driver. That means he can probably expect his fine to be paid immediately by his bosses to ensure his speedy release rather than facing the risk of him talking.

The sad truth is that 100 years ago, there were 100,000 tigers roaming the forests of Asia. Today, there may be only 3,200 left in the wild. Only 7 percent of historic tiger habitat still contains tigers. Thailand, along with 13 other countries, has agreed to tighten controls to stamp out tiger smuggling, but clearly it is still going on.

One reason is that those tiger cubs are worth a small fortune in the Chinese medicine and restaurant industry. That same Chinese market is also fueling a steady business in the international poaching of elephant tusks.
Source

Saved: One of the cubs is lifted from its cage after police in Thailand caught a driver who tried to dodge a checkpoint 

VIDEO Cute tiger cubs: Man tries to smuggle the animals through Thailand

Responses to "16 Tiger Cubs Rescued From Thai Smuggling Plot (Video)"

  1. Lara says:

    these poor babies are too young to be away from their mothers :'( i am glad they were found

  2. Anonymous says:

    It makes me sad that Canada is presently getting into trade agreements with China because they are so weird to wildlife. I don't want them to have access to our animals.

  3. Anonymous says:

    This organizer shall disappear to THE HELL !!!

  4. oh thank god

  5. Oh how I pray for this kind of stuff to stop. Thank you for Sharing.

  6. Anonymous says:

    We really have to find constructive and positive ways to convince the Chinese to stop using wild animals for their traditional medicine. There must be groups in China who disagree with this practice also. It requires massively getting the word out for starters. I know it is heartbreaking - that is why I have never visited there.

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