Airport authorities foil smugglers' attempts to board flights with shocking cargo — here's what they found
Airport security intercepted an Indian passenger attempting to transport 20 live blue iguanas and two live sulcata tortoises on a flight from Bangkok to India. Officers discovered the animals in returned baggage from Thai Airways flight TG326.
In a second case, authorities arrested a Sri Lankan passenger trying to board a flight to Colombo with two live hyacinth macaws, two live meerkats, and one live prairie dog hidden in their luggage.
Both suspects now face charges under Thailand's Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act, Customs Act, and Animal Epidemic Act. The cases have been handed over to investigators at the airport's police station.
Animal smuggling puts entire ecosystems at risk. When exotic species are removed from their natural habitats, it disrupts the delicate balance that keeps environments healthy and stable.
For communities worldwide, this illegal trade threatens food security and economic stability. Many of the animals targeted by smugglers, including the hyacinth macaws seized in this case, are natural pest controllers and pollinators that farmers depend on for successful harvests.
The smuggling process itself causes immense suffering to individual animals, with many dying during transport from stress, poor conditions, and inadequate care. Those that survive often carry diseases that can spread to local wildlife populations when they are released or escape.
Wildlife trafficking also undermines conservation efforts to protect endangered species and restore damaged habitats around the world.
Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has strengthened collaboration with airport security and customs officials to catch smugglers before they can transport animals across borders.
Enhanced security screening at major international airports now includes specialized training for officials to identify signs of wildlife trafficking and properly handle rescued animals.
If you travel internationally, you can help by reporting suspicious behavior to airport authorities, supporting legitimate wildlife conservation organizations, and not purchasing exotic pets or animal products.
Which of these groups has the biggest role to play in reducing food waste?
Grocery stores
Restaurants
Individuals
The government
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
Kenya turns to AfDB, China Exim for $2b airport expansion after dropping Adani deal
Kenya has invited international development lenders to help finance a $2 billion expansion of Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), just nine months after cancelling a deal with India's Adani Group following the indictment of its founder in the United States. Kenya plans a $2 billion expansion of Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The country seeks funding from international development lenders and agencies. A securitised bond of $1.36 billion for road construction will be issued next month. Kenya has invited international development lenders to help finance a $2 billion expansion of Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), just nine months after cancelling a deal with India's Adani Group following the indictment of its founder in the United States. Facing rising public debt and seeking alternative infrastructure financing options, the East African nation will also issue a securitised bond worth 175 billion shillings ($1.36 billion) next month for road construction, Transport Minister Davis Chirchir told reporters. Chirchir said the government had approached several development agencies, offering them the opportunity to finance the airport project by leveraging JKIA's balance sheet. Agencies contacted include the Japan International Cooperation Agency, China Exim Bank, KfW, the European Investment Bank, and the African Development Bank, according to Reuters. The planned expansion will include the construction of a second runway and a new terminal building. Once funding is secured, the government will then seek a contractor to execute the works. Instead of bringing in a concessionaire to build the airport, Kenya will construct it and consider concessioning it later, contrasting with the previous Adani deal, which would have given the group a 30-year operating lease after construction. Adani controversy That arrangement was abandoned last year after U.S. prosecutors charged Gautam Adani and several company executives with allegedly bribing officials to win Indian power contracts and misleading U.S. investors. President Ruto also ordered the termination of a $736 million, 30-year public-private partnership deal signed with an Adani Group subsidiary to build power transmission lines.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Police make shocking discovery after getting tip about car passing through city — here's what they found
Police make shocking discovery after getting tip about car passing through city — here's what they found Believe it or not, puke from sperm whales, or ambergris, is a valuable ingredient in perfumes and certain medicines. To protect the animal, collecting and selling ambergris is prohibited in many countries. Unfortunately, people still try to do it, as Indian police discovered during a recent traffic stop. What's happening? Police in Vadodara received a tip that a car was passing through the city with contraband ambergris, according to the Indian Express. The digestive substance — AKA whale vomit — solidifies over time in the ocean and then floats to the surface. The waxy stones it forms are extremely rare to find. They have been coveted for centuries for the unique fragrance they can add to perfumes, and as a medicine in many traditional practices. However, sperm whales are protected in India under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, so by extension, ambergris is too. Trading the substance is also illegal in the United States. After getting the tip, the police set up a patrol and eventually found a group of people carrying over five kilograms of the substance with a value equivalent to nearly $16 million. All six passengers were arrested on suspicion of smuggling, and the ambergris was confiscated. The person who sold them the product remains at large, the outlet reported. Why do ambergris laws matter? The ambergris trade has little direct contact with actual sperm whales. Yet it still poses a danger to the oceans. The high interest in acquiring the substance can fuel illegal whale hunting, and fishing gear can harm other marine life along the way. Similar to rhinos, sharks, and other species that have been poached for one part of their body, regulating ambergris is a good move for conservation. These laws help ensure these species do not suffer at the hands of human greed and help keep ecosystems in balance as a result. What can be done to support sperm whales? Apart from supporting environmental initiatives that control animal byproduct trading, you can also make an impact with your wallet. Look into the ingredients of your shopping list for any unethical animal products, and buy more sustainable, animal-friendly alternatives. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
'Deepens Indiana's complicity': Immigrant rights groups criticize 'Speedway Slammer' plans
Immigrant advocacy groups are raising the alarm about new plans to use a maximum-security prison north of Indianapolis to house immigration detainees facing deportation, accusing local and state officials of "complicity" in the Trump administration's "inhumane" treatment of undocumented immigrants. Gov. Mike Braun's office announced earlier in August that up to 1,000 undocumented immigrants will be housed at the Miami Correctional Facility, a men's prison located on the former Grissom Air Force Base about 70 miles north of Indianapolis. The facility has a capacity for up to 3,100 men, but it has been only partially filled. The announcement came shortly after revelations that the Trump administration is also planning to house up to 1,000 ICE detainees at Camp Atterbury, a military training facility south of Indianapolis. State and federal officials have promoted the partnership as a way to remove "the worst of the worst" from the country. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem dubbed Miami Correctional the "Speedway Slammer," a moniker that prompted some pushback from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But immigrant advocates condemned the partnership as a "cruel" way to target, detain and deport undocumented immigrants regardless of criminal history, according to a joint statement from local and national organizations. Turning Miami Correctional and Camp Atterbury into massive ICE detention centers could turn Indiana into a "new regional hub for ICE detention" and dramatically escalate arrests of immigrants in Indiana and in the Midwest, the groups said. "The decision to increase ICE detentions through the Miami Correctional Facility 'Speedway Slammer' and Camp Atterbury deepens Indiana's complicity in a system that tears families apart and inflicts long-term harm," Sayra Perez, organizer at the Indiana Undocumented Youth Alliance, said in the statement. "Our state's growing role in ICE's detention and deportation machine is a direct attack on immigrant Hoosiers — our coworkers, students and neighbors." A continuing surge in arrests, coupled with a new federal policy that disqualifies immigrants from bond hearings, has created an increased demand for more bed spaces and detention facilities. In the past, immigration judges have allowed immigrants who are not considered a threat or a flight risk and have community ties to be released while they fight deportation. But the Trump administration has circumvented the years-long practice. Advocates say this means more and more immigrants — regardless of criminal history — will be detained for longer periods of time while they fight deportation. "The inevitable increase in the number of Hoosier immigrants detained will further put pressure on legal service providers as well as the Chicago and Indianapolis Immigration Courts to adjudicate cases, despite the fact that many immigration judges have either resigned or been fired since March," said Hannah Cartwright, an attorney at Mariposa Legal, an Indianapolis nonprofit that represents immigrants. "As a result, the Trump Administration is effectively eliminating due process for Hoosier immigrants as a practical matter and further entrenching a mass deportation system in the midwest.' ICE has relied on a large network of jails and state, federal and privately operated facilities to hold immigration detainees. In Indiana, four county jails, including Marion County, have contracts with the U.S. Marshals Service to house ICE detainees. The federal government pays the local jails a per diem rate for each detainee, as well as transportation and meal costs. Clay County Jail, which has been housing immigration detainees since 2013 and significantly expanded its capacity in recent years, is one of the largest ICE detention centers in the Midwest.
