A Prachuap Khiri Khan man faces 15 or more years in prison for allegedly hunting protected animals and selling their carcasses on Facebook.
Apichai Dokbua, 24, was arrested Nov. 17 at a gas station in Thap Sakae District of the western province where he came to deliver three animal carcasses to undercover officers from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and Namtok Huai Yang National Park.
The arrest came after wildlife authorities discovered someone selling skulls and carcasses of serows and Malayan sun bears on the social network. Officers set up the string by transferring 10,000 baht to Apichai’s bank account for the purchase of two serow skulls and a bear carcass.
Officials said Apichai confessed that he used a 22-caliber rifle to hunt the antelope-like serows and that he bought the carcasses of other wild animals from hunter friends.
He was charged with illegal hunting under the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act of 2019, which carries a prison term of three to 15 years and fines of 300,000-1.5 million baht. He additionally was charged with possession of carcasses of protected animals and trading in said carcasses.
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