BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has announced that over 900 lemurs and rare turtles confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade will soon be repatriated to Madagascar. The 963 animals, including ring-tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, spider tortoises, and radiated tortoises, were seized in May during an anti-smuggling operation in Chumphon province.
The operation was carried out by the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division after receiving a tip-off about a smuggling attempt from Indonesia to Satun province. Police intercepted four vehicles carrying 1,117 live and deceased animals, resulting in the arrest of six individuals. The animals, endemic to Madagascar, are listed as near-extinct or threatened under Annex I of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
Madagascar’s Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Max Andonirina Fontaine, will oversee the repatriation process, which begins with a send-off ceremony at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s headquarters on November 27. The animals will be transported on three Qatar Airways flights departing on November 28, November 30, and December 2.
The operation affirms Thailand’s commitment to combating illegal wildlife trade and protecting endangered species, ensuring their conservation and survival. (NNT)
