TWO Indian women have been arrested at a Thai airport attempting to smuggle more than 100 live animals, including armadillos, porcupines and snakes, wildlife protection officers said. Thailand is a major transit hub for wildlife smugglers, with the animals often bound for Vietnam or China where they are used in traditional medicines. The creatures were discovered when Nithya Raja, 38, and Zakia Sulthana, 24, passed through X-ray machines at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport on Sunday night en route to Chennai in India. Sathon Konggoen, chief of the airport’s wildlife inspection office, estimated that the animals – including turtles, chameleons and two dead iguanas – would be worth around 200,000 baht (RM24,640).

Source: The Star June 30, 2022 10:10 UTC