Beheaded Tiger Found Among Several Other Dismembered Animals During Raid At Thailand Zoo

Thai wildlife officials have discovered a beheaded tiger and several dismembered carcasses of other animals in a raid at a private zoo.

In the raid, which was the follow-up of an investigation that started in 2018 to crack down on wildlife trafficking, five live tiger cubs, suspected to be illegally smuggled into the zoo, were also found.

The harrowing discovery was made in Mukda Tiger Park Farm in Mukdahan in the country’s northeastern Isaan province by officials with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), according to the Bangkok Post.

The rescued tiger cubs were initially presumed to have been born at the facility, but a DNA test proved three of them were not related to any adult tigers at the zoo. The results of the DNA test on the other 20 tigers, including two cubs, will be released by the end of December.

In the first raid, which was conducted in 2018, authorities confiscated various locally protected species, including red pandas, grey-shanked doucs (monkeys) and elongated tortoises, The Bangkok Post reported.

The surviving tigers found in the latest raid were reportedly placed in the custody of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation's (DNP) Chulaphorn Wildlife Captive Breeding Centre in the Si Sa Ket province.

The owner of the park is likely to face up to 5 years in prison if convicted of smuggling the wildlife species, and another three years if convicted of providing false information, according to Euro Weekly News.

The zoo’s license is annulled for 90 days while authorities probe into the findings.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), in collaboration with several international organizations such as WildAid, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID), had launched a campaign, "A Good Life is Free of Killing," in 2019 in a bid to end wildlife trafficking.

"Thailand is considered as a transit country for wildlife traffickers, especially those coming from border areas near Malaysia and Laos," Somkiat Soontornpitakkool, the director of the DNP's Wild Flora and Fauna Protection Division, told the Bangkok Post at that time, adding that illegal wildlife trafficking has pushed wild tigers and elephants on the verge of going extinct.