In May, GNN reported that 48 lemurs, 30 primates of various species, several crocodiles, and over 1,000 rare tortoises were seized when a convoy of four smuggling trucks was raided in Thailand.
The bust was valued at around $2 million on the black market, but now, these animals are set for a return to their wild homes on Madagascar.
In a ceremony in Bangkok, Thai authorities transferred the 961 healthy animals over to members of the Malagasy Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation, in advance of their flight home on three separate planes operated by Qatar Airways.
“By conducting operations like this and broadcasting them globally, it shows that there are arrests and exchanges happening, making people worldwide aware that possessing these animals is not right,” said the department’s director, Attapol Charoenchansa.
Radiated tortoises and all the lemur species seized are listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Appendix I, meaning that trade in specimens of these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances, and that trafficking them comes with the most severe sentencing.
Both species are native to Madagascar and are highly sought-after commodities in the global illegal pet trade market.
Wildlife, including plants and seeds, make up the third largest illegal market in the world behind drugs and weaponry. But whereas the other two can always be easily replaced through manufacturing, endangered species are finite.
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In other words, the seizure will not only be significantly disruptive to the criminals’ operations, but create an extremely positive impact as they return to the wild and help their species recover.
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