Thailand will return nearly 1,000 traded lemurs and turtles to Madagascar

On November 27, 2024By Pranco

Bangkok (AFP) – Thailand is sending nearly 1,000 critically endangered lemurs and turtles back to their homes in Madagascar, in what both countries called their largest ever operation against the illegal wildlife trade.

Published on: 27/11/2024 – 08:42Altered: 27/11/2024 – 08:40

2 minutes

Thai police found and seized 1,117 of the living and dead animals in the southern province of Chumphon in May – the kingdom’s largest ever seizure, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, who often sell highly prized endangered species on the lucrative black market in China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

The repatriation of the 963 animals – ring-tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, spider turtles and ray tortoises – is an “important step” in the fight against human trafficking, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Chalermchai Sri-on said on Wednesday.

“For the first time, wild animals are being repatriated before the legal process is completed,” he added.

Lemurs, who starred as lovable supporting characters in the Dreamworks films “Madagascar,” are found only on the Indian Ocean island, and experts say they are threatened by human trafficking in the pet trade.

The furry primates and turtles will be sent to special centers once they return to Madagascar, said Environment Minister Max Andonirina Fontaine, who was in Thailand to oversee the repatriation.

‘Create a success story’

Six people were arrested in May and charged with endangered animal trafficking. According to local Thai media, they could face up to 15 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million baht ($43,000).

In May, six people were arrested and charged with endangered animal trafficking © Handout / Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment/AFP

The four species, which are endemic to Madagascar, are considered nearly extinct or threatened by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

“If two countries really work together, we can really create a success story,” Fontaine told reporters on Wednesday.

Thailand is Southeast Asia’s largest legal importer and exporter of CITES-listed wildlife from Madagascar, according to a report by TRAFFIC, a wildlife NGO.

But the 2023 report says the illicit trade persists and “the actual scale is likely to be greater than that indicated by seizure data alone,” it says.

Fontaine told AFP that it is “difficult” to know the true number of animals smuggled out of Madagascar, but that the increase in seizures reflects improved anti-trafficking efforts.

In 2010, Thai customs authorities seized more than 200 endangered turtles smuggled into the country from Madagascar.

In June this year, Thai customs officials arrested six Indian nationals for trying to smuggle a red panda and 86 other animals out of the kingdom.