News conference given by Pol. Maj. Somchit Thongthang, Commander of Uthai Thani Provincial Police and Mr. Thanya Nethithammakul, Deputy Director General of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department after 3 more tiger poachers got arrested on November 19, 2015. (Photo: Thairath Online)
Police officers at Mae Sot – Tak highway checkpoint in Mae Sot District found tiger carcasses separated in different boxes hidden in the back seat of a car driven by Nipon Suksombot together with Luethai Tiewcharoen. The tiger was identified as one from Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK) due to comparison between unique stripe pattern and photographs taken by camera traps in HKK. The very first capture of this particular tiger was in 2012.
As the investigation continued, the police arrested three more suspects of the tiger poaching gang: Seksan Konthong (poacher), Rungsak Konthong (tiger butcher) and Saeng Boriboon (dealer). All of them are Uthai Thani residents, arrested with a shotgun (Remington) and they confessed that butchered tiger would be sold to a buyer in Bangkok for 80,000 baht.
Seksan admitted that he shot the tiger twice to death with his shotgun while staying on guard in his corn field in the buffer zone of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary on November 11, 2015. Tiger was then carried back home and was butchered there. Getting caught red handed at Mae Sot checkpoint, they failed to finish their deal and paid the price for their illegal acts.
Three suspects re-enacted tiger killing in the buffer zone of Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary.
(Photo: Thairath Online)
Article: “จับพรานล่าเสือโคร่งห้วยขาแข้ง! 3 คน ยิงด้วยลูกซองเดี่ยว ขายซากได้ 8 หมื่น” news from Thairath Online on November 19, 2015
Summarized and translated by: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Thailand