Authorities in Thailand have rescued three baby orangutans being illegally smuggled from Indonesia through Malaysia into Thailand. The operation took place in the Mueang district of Chumphon province on the evening of January 21, after police intercepted a vehicle parked at a gas station in the Thung Kha sub-district.
In addition to the orangutans, officials discovered one Chinese goral and three monkeys of unidentified species inside six plastic baskets and a wooden box. The driver, a 63-year-old man identified only as “Winai,” and a 45-year-old woman were detained for questioning.
The rescue operation stemmed from intelligence shared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation. The two suspects reportedly admitted during questioning that they had collected the wildlife in Songkhla province and were en route to deliver the animals to a client in Bangkok’s Ratchapruek area.
Acting on the suspects’ statements, law enforcement and park officials conducted a raid on a residence in the Ratchapruek neighborhood. The raid uncovered more animals, including seven cotton-top tamarins and two red pandas.
This incident has prompted authorities to investigate whether the smuggling operation is connected to previous wildlife trafficking cases. Notably, in May 2024, around 900 lemurs and rare turtles from Madagascar were seized in Chumphon province. In December 2022, Thailand also repatriated three orangutans to Indonesia after they had been held in the country for approximately seven years.
Officials emphasized the ongoing nature of their investigation, as they work to trace the networks involved in this case.
