bpwallace49 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Baby leopards, bear found in bags at Thai airport BANGKOK – Authorities at Bangkok's international airport arrested a first-class passenger Friday whose suitcases were filled with baby leopards, panthers, a bear and monkeys. The animals had been drugged and were headed for Dubai. The man, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen, was waiting to check in for his flight at Suvarnabhumi International Airport when he was apprehended by undercover anti-trafficking officers, who had been monitoring him since his black market purchase of the rare and endangered animals, according to the FREELAND Foundation, an anti-trafficking group based in Thailand. When authorities opened the suitcases, the animals yawned, said Steven Galster, director of FREELAND, who was present during the bust. There were two leopards, two panthers, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys — all about the size of puppies. "It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," Galster said. Some of the animals were placed inside canisters with air holes. Authorities believe the man was part of a trafficking network and were searching for suspected accomplices. "It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation. We've never seen one like this before," Galster said. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases." Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking, but authorities typically find rare turtles, tortoises, snakes and lizards that feed demand in China and Vietnam. Finding such an array of live mammals is unusual. "We haven't seen this mixture (of animals) before," Galster said. "It's amazing. We were really surprised." Click image to see photos of wild animals rescued at Thai airport Reuters/Damir Sagolj In Thailand, leopards and panthers fetch roughly $5,000 a piece on the black market, but their value in Dubai is presumably higher, Galster said. It was not known if the animals were destined to be resold or kept as exotic pets, a practice popular in the Middle East. Sheeet . . . we cant even carry on a bottle of water . . this guy was trying to carry on panthers and leopards . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) bpwallace, the master of taking Facebook posts and transferring them to the Tailgate... ... and vice versa, might I add Edited May 13, 2011 by darin3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpwallace49 Posted May 13, 2011 Author Share Posted May 13, 2011 bpwallace, the master of taking Facebook posts and transferring them to the Tailgate... ... and vice versa, might I add http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110513/ap_on_...ards_in_luggage its on yahoo darin . . .facebook is blocked at my work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatman Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I know this is illegal and all, but I have to say...that is pretty awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110513/ap_on_...ards_in_luggage its on yahoo darin . . .facebook is blocked at my work. Mmhmm, riiiiight. Coincidence, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfooking panthers and leopards on this motherfooking plane! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikesVikes Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 I miss the good old days when we just had the snakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 How in the hell do you get all those critters into a suitcase? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 How in the hell do you get all those critters into a suitcase? and did they bother to check his ass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuke'em ttg Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 probably a friggin python up there that swallowed a sleeping worker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditkaless Wonders Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 How in the hell do you get all those critters into a suitcase? If you fold them neatly they take up less space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clubfoothead Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 If you fold them neatly they take up less space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted May 14, 2011 Share Posted May 14, 2011 and did they bother to check his ass If you fold them neatly they take up less space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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