Phitsanulok – Officials in Phitsanulok Province have apprehended two Vietnamese nationals who are suspected of attempting to smuggle a mangled tiger carcass out of the Kingdom. The two are now facing charges of possessing protected animal remains.
According to Mueang Phitsanulok District Police, the two suspects were located on a passenger platform of the first Phitsanulok Provincial Bus Terminal on Mitraphab Road in the capital district of the province. Upon inspection, the police discovered that the two were in possession of tiger organs, including a skull, smoked meat, paws, genitalia, ribs and a bottle of fat extract.
Preliminary interrogation revealed that the duo bought the animal carcass from a hunter known as ‘Tun ’ from Tak Province. Officials speculated that the two men were headed back to Vietnam through the border linking Thailand’s Nong Khai and Vientiane Prefecture in Laos.
Both Vietnamese are now facing charges of possessing the remains of a protected animal. Officials will now send the carcass to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for a thorough examination.
