103 animals seized in wildlife centre raid

More than 100 Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation officers yesterday raided the compound of a wildlife foundation in Phetchaburi to seize endangered species being kept there.

An official of the Department of National Parks, WildlifeandPlant Conservation tries tomovean unconscious Asiatic black bear out of its cage at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand in Phetchaburi’sTha Yang district. Officers shot the bear with an anaesthetic dart. CHAIWATSATYAEM

The raid was led by Damrong Pidech, the department's director-general, against the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) in Phetchaburi's Tha Yang district.

The officers seized 103 wild animals for which the foundation had allegedly failed to produce licences to prove they were keeping the animals legally.

The department said it had earlier demanded the foundation produce documents proving that 103 out of some 450 animals under the foundation's care were staying there legitimately.

The raid was chaotic as several WFFT volunteers, both Thai and foreigners, tried to disrupt the officers.

Mr Damrong denied his officers were trying to intimidate the WFFT.

"We are not out to harass them because the foundation has good intentions.

"But we need to enforce Thai laws that have been issued to protect those animals," he said.

"Without licences, wildlife might be bought here from somewhere else," he said.

He added there is no permanent veterinarian working in the foundation's animal nursing quarters.

"The nursing quarters are also illegal," he said.

Mr Damrong said several animals in the nursing quarters look healthy enough to be released into the wild.

"These days, it has basically become a zoo.

"How much in donations has poured into the foundation from all over the world?" Mr Damrong said.

Meanwhile, foundation head Edwin Wiek denied the WFFT had done anything wrong.

He insisted the foundation had all the documents to prove the foundation has legal custody of all the animals, but they were stored in the foundation's computer.

"We have explained to the officers and we asked for more time to print out all the documents. The officers refused to give us more time.

"They have used force to take away animals that they say we do not have legal custody over" Mr Wiek said.

Mr Wiek said the foundation had informed the department whenever it accepted any wild animals into its care, and department officers had never come to check on the animals in the past.

Bangkok Post