Dismembered tigers and leopards seized in a major wildlife haul near the Mekong River in early 2008
Photo courtesy of the Royal Thai Police Natural Resources & Environmental Crimes Suppression Division (NRESCD)

BANGKOK (December 23, 2011) – Wildlife conservationists today applauded Thai authorities for a landmark decision against the masterminds of a major cross border haul of tigers, leopards and other endangered species in 2008.

FREELAND officers following the case received word today that Samai Pimtha (aged 39) and Watthana Porkachang (aged 38) were jointly fined 4,320,000 THB (140,000 USD) and each sentenced to 1 year imprisonment (rising to 2 years if the fine is not paid) by the Nakhon Panom Provincial Court.  The punishment took effect August 9th, 2011, when the men were jailed already.

The 2 Thai men were sprung on January 28th, 2008, attempting to smuggle over 1 ton of tiger and leopard carcasses (thirteen dismembered animals weighing at total of 1,080kg) across the Mekong River from Thailand into Laos, along with 275 mostly live pangolins (scaly anteaters).  The huge interception was made at Khub Pung near the Mekong by a Royal Thai Navy unit.

Following the January seizure, investigators acted on information from both sides of the border, shared via the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) – a regional governmental initiative promoting inter-agency and cross border cooperation against wildlife crime. Thailand’s multi-agency task force under ASEAN-WEN, known as “Thai-WEN”, (including the Royal Thai Police, Royal Thai Customs, and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation) led the investigation and preparation of the case, seeing it through to conclusion.  The Royal Thai Navy, which intercepted the shipment, provided valuable information to Thai-WEN.  The anti-trafficking group FREELAND also provided tip offs.

“FREELAND applauds this landmark decision by the Nakon Panom Provincial Court,” said Steve Galster, Director of FREELAND.  “A DNA report on the seized contraband served as a silent witness to the crime, sealing the fate of the traffickers who would probably escaped justice otherwise.”

The DNA analysis revealed the contraband was likely one of several connected shipments, when big cat upper and lower torsos failed to match. It also revealed the presence of Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) sub-species amongst the bodies of endemic Southeast Asian big cats.

Poaching and trafficking to meet demand for tiger meat, bones and skin has been a primary cause of a precipitous decline in wild tiger populations around the world. Numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers worldwide, from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

“Major wildlife traffickers continue to be caught red handed in Thailand, but successful prosecutions like this remain rare. FREELAND and other organizations are calling on Thai legislators to tighten up Thailand’s weak wildlife law, in order to deter illegal trade and support and encourage more impressive work of investigators, officers and prosecutors who can put these criminals behind bars and out of business. We need to stamp out the illegal trade’s destructive activities before it’s too late for endangered species, such as the tiger,” said Galster.

With support from FREELAND, police have made several more arrests in a series of successful operations since the apprehension of Samai and Watthana, targeting a Thai-Vietnamese syndicate thought to be responsible for moving up to 1,000 tigers and leopards across the border into Laos and Vietnam during the past decade. The Nakon Panom and related cases are the subject of a National Geographic Television documentary, “Crimes Against Nature”.