Animal Activist: Intimidation won't shut me up

[kfchugo]

It really does sicken me to see so many examples of poachers murdering some of our most rare and noble creatures for their body parts. While there is a market for these so-called "aphrodisiacs", I suppose there will always be the criminal element anxious to make a quick buck/dollar/baht. The penalties should be much harsher and some effort made to limit the attraction of this crime - e.g., harsh penalties for trading in rare animal parts, possession of such parts etc plus initiatives to limit access to these animals. I see that in parts of Africa, gamekeepers have taken the extreme measure of removing the horns of rhinocerous. They effectively mutilate these animals just to save their lives from the poachers.

[Khun Don]

103 animals seized in wildlife centre raid
Published: 24/02/2012 at 10:53 AMNewspaper section: News


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.

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

[billk]

http://www.theage.com.au/world/thai-...226-1twel.html

[paul_au]

Remember the rest of the animal kingdom was here first, we are the ones that have stolen there habitat.

[billk]

Neither will any facts!

Which facts Curt?

WFFT has a good reputation and Edwin Weik's claim that the raid was payback for WFFT campaigning against elephant poaching seems thoroughly plausible to me.

However, I'm willing to listen to contrary views.

[PeaBrain]

http://www.theage.com.au/world/thai-...226-1twel.html

It seems big muscle and big money once again call the shots in "anything's for sale land".

[Curt]

I was just playing off the title, not this particular crusade.

But, WFFT and Edwin have gone of on half baked tangents before. I believe Weik does it because he does care. WFFT has made a HUGE business of it. But both, once corrected, don't retract any BS that has been shoveled.

I once debated Edwin on his stand that tigers aren't here for photo Ops. When I pointed out that his cute avatar was a photo of him cuddling with a tiger, he didn't have a good reply. In fact, he disappeared from the discussion!

[ravip]

Discussing about wildlife, has anyone heard about this organisation and their operations?
Exo Terra - Make Your Reptiles Feel At Home
www.exo-terra.com

[billk]

Here's WFFT's take on the raids:

http://www.wfft.org/wildlife-trade/r...s-in-thailand/

[billk]

Here's Elephant Nature Park's take on the raids:

http://www.elephantnaturepark.org/ne..._news_lek1.htm