Police bust smuggling ring after rescuing baby orangutans

Four suspects arrested after Chumphon truck raid leads to discovery of red pandas and monkeys at house near Bangkok

Police have busted a wildlife smuggling operation after rescuing three baby orangutans and three gibbons from the back of a truck in Chumphon on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, police searched the parked truck in Muang district at 10pm and discovered six apes caged in the back. The driver and passenger were arrested and the truck was escorted to Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) headquarters in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district for inspection. DNP officials found a lar gibbon, two black crested gibbons and three orangutans in the truck.



After questioning the suspects, police and wildlife officials raided a house in Nonthaburi’s Bang Bua Thong district, where they found two red pandas, seven cotton-top tamarin monkeys, a mongoose, and a red-whiskered bulbul. Two additional suspects were arrested at the address and all four were charged with smuggling a total of 17 wild animals.

The rescued animals were sent for veterinary examination before being shipped to the wildlife rescue centre 3 in Ratchaburi province.

(2025/01/23-00:00)