Note: The older content written as part of this blog was relevant at the time but may have since changed. Please don't hesitate to contact me for clarification.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

IS THIS YOUR ELEPHANT, SIR ?

From The Bangkok Post - Suspected smugglers on Monday failed to sneak two elephants from Burma past eagle-eyed provincial authorities in Mae Hong Son, Thailand, where five animal traffickers were arrested and the pachyderms seized.
The arrestees included two Burmese nationals and three Thais who face charges of attempted elephant smuggling across the Salween River into Thailand, said the Thai News Agency (TNA). Mae Hong Son provincial authorities apprehended the five suspects when they failed to produce proper elephant identification cards and certificates of ownership records for the two beasts.
Trade in wild elephants is prohibited in Thailand, although it is permissible if the animal is certified as domesticated livestock that was born in captivity. The suspects told Thai authorities that they had bought the two female elephants in Burma for 520,000 baht ($14,400) each and planned to resell them to Thai investors.
Thai border officials noted that elephant smuggling across the Thailand-Burma border was no small problem. They said they were on the lookout for a batch of seven elephants that are expected to be smuggled soon into Mae Hong Son.
-----
I am not making light of this illegal activity, but when I read this story I had visions of the smugglers gently ushering an elephant, cunningly hidden under a huge blanket, across the border. It would make a great cartoon. I just wonder how much of an 'eagle-eye' was required to spot two elephants? They're not exactly easy to hide.

0 comments:

Ask Me Anything ..

.. about the media and publishing industry in Thailand, and I will do my best to assist you. You can email your question to bkkandy AT myway.com.

Add me on Facebook

(c) The Bangkok Bugle 2006 - 2015. Email me at bkkandy AT myway.com for information.