Chiang mai: Police officers, in conjunction with the International Police Organization, arrested a religious teacher in Chiang Mai for possessing protected wildlife. A chained macaque was also found. A caged crested bird was also seized. Officials have filed serious charges.
According to Thai News Agency, police from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NRECD), along with INTERPOL officers, Provincial Police Region 5 officers, Border Patrol Police 33 officers, and Department of National Parks officers, combined forces, using a court warrant, to search an unnumbered house in Sri Wang Than Village, Pa Phai Subdistrict, San Sai District, Chiang Mai Province, after receiving a tip that protected wildlife was being kept inside.
As a result of the search, officials found a male macaque chained to a tree by its waist. They also found three crested mynas confined in metal cages. The inspection revealed that the house in question was rented by Mr. Chom, a 44-year-old religious teacher. He was not found to have proper documentation for possession of protected wildlife. Preliminary investigation revealed that Mr. Chom had purchased the macaque and chained it to a tree for approximately seven to eight months. As for the three crested mynas, they claimed to have purchased baby birds from children in the village who brought them to sell and then put them in cages to raise.
Officials charged the suspect with possession of protected wildlife without permission and animal cruelty without justification under the Animal Cruelty Prevention and Welfare Act. The suspect was then taken to investigators at Mae Jo Police Station for prosecution. All seized items were sent to the Wildlife Clinic at the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Region 16, Chiang Mai, for rehabilitation before being released back into the wild.