Endangered Red Panda, 86 Other Animals Found in Luggage at Bangkok Airport

Bizarre news has emerged from Thailand as 87 animals were found inside luggage at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. These animals were reportedly being smuggled to India.

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Eighty-seven animals were found in the luggage of six Indian nationals attempting to fly out of Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). These smugglers were reportedly bound for Mumbai, India (BOM), trying to take the animals with them. The 87 animals include an endangered red panda, a cotton-top tamarin monkey, a fishing cat, and a Sulawesi bear.

According to the Red Panda Network, there are estimated to be less than 10,000 red pandas left in the world. Only 2,500 or so are left in the wild. As reported by Thailand's Customs Department, lizards, snakes, birds, squirrels, and bats were also packed away in the suitcases. Photos from the failed smuggling attempt show the red panda hidden inside a basket. Other animals, like monkeys and birds, were seen packed away inside boxes and suitcases.

These wicker baskets, plastic tubs, and fabric bags were all packed into larger wheeled suitcases. The suitcases were intended to be loaded onto a flight bound for Mumbai. According to the Thai Customs Department, the six Indian nations violated several laws in their attempt to smuggle these animals. Of the statutes violated is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This act regulates the international trade of wild plant and animal species.

The suspects are also accused of attempting to export live animals without declaring them. Declaring any goods is an integral part of international travel. Furthermore, according to the Customs Department, the suspects are charged with violating animal disease control laws. The six Indian nationals suspected of smuggling the animals were barred from boarding their flight to Mumbai and were arrested. Further action against these individuals is pending.

A Growing Issue

In a 2018 report, TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organization campaigning against illegal wildlife trade, showed that unlawful smuggling of wildlife occurs relatively frequently. According to TRAFFIC, 1,346 seizures of wildlife and related products were reported in the air transport sector between 2009 and 2016. This form of wildlife trafficking took place in airports across 136 countries in that specified period. 

Thailand reported the second-highest number of these incidents. Kanitha Krishnaswamy, director of TRAFFIC's Southeast Asia office, told CNN that the organization has seen frequent wildlife trafficking between Southeast and South Asia. This trend includes a "string of cases of live wild animal smuggling via air" between Thailand and India. This increase in attempted trafficking to India, according to Krishnaswamy, is due to a "growing fad" of exotic pets. Such "exotic pets" include kangaroos, red pandas, and phalangers (also known as cuscus).

Air travel is the easiest way for smugglers to get wildlife trafficked to India or anywhere for that matter. Doing so by sea would be easier and more covert (and such a method has undoubtedly been attempted). However, trying to get such wildlife on a plane and flown to a different country allows smugglers to get such coveted animals into a foreign country faster.