A wildlife conservation group has accused a Phuket private zoo of
smuggling in 10 young orangutans and other wild animals.

The group has filed a complaint with the National Park, Wildlife and
Plant Conservation Department.

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand secretary-general Edwin Wiek
said he had received complaints from local and foreign tourists who
suspected the young orangutans had been smuggled in.

He said the ape population had risen by just two in November, but
this month there was an increase of 10.

“We tried to check the import licences with the department and found
that there were none,” Mr Wiek said. “So we would like the department to urgently investigate the case.”

He said other animals at the zoo that could not be accounted for
included gibbons, langurs and tigers.

The orangutan is listed with the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (Cites) which only allows for the exchange of
animals for research purposes.

Orangutans, an endangered species, are mostly found in Borneo and Sumatra.

Mr Wiek said the illegal wildlife trade had expanded into many
tourist attractions such as Phuket and Ko Samui.

On Samui, many tourists pay to have their pictures taken with young
gibbons on the beach.

Chatchawan Pisdamkham, director of department’s Wildlife Conservation
Office, said he would send a team to investigate the case soon.

“We can’t say at the moment whether it is legal,” he said. “Our
investigating team will travel to the zoo. If zoo officials have
conducted their business illegally, the animals will be confiscated.”

He said it was difficult to return confiscated animals back to the
jungle, saying there must be strong evidence to verify their original habitat. Most of confiscated wildlife will be sent to breeding centres around
the country.

In a bid to stop the illegal wildlife trade, the department has
introduced a programme which will use informants to notify officers
about the wildlife trade, especially in restaurants.

“It will be very useful for us to get new information from our
network,” he said.

(Source: Bangkok Post)