Real Tiger Cub Found in Luggage With Stuffed Toys
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A baby tiger cub has been found drugged and hidden by stuffed animals in a suitcase at Bangkok's international airport. He's been rescued and is recovering from exhaustion and dehydration. The owner of the suitcase was a Thai woman flying from Thailand to Iran, officials say.
The tiger was discovered when her oversize checked bag was sent through X-ray and security officials spotted what appeared to be a live animal inside, says TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring group.
The 31-year-old woman was arrested, and faces a $1,300 fine on two wildlife smuggling charges, police say. She reportedly denied the cub was hers, saying another passenger asked her to carry it.
The cub was sent to a wildlife conservation center in Bangkok. He is believed to be about 3 months old.
"As of today, he looks better and can walk a little now," Chaiyaporn Chareesaeng, head of the Wildlife Health Unit at the Department of National Parks' Wildlife and Plant Conservation Center, tells The Associated Press.
A DNA test was conducted to help determine the animal's origin.
Officials say the cub could have fetched about $3,200 on the black market in Iran, where tigers are prized as exotic pets.
Other tigers are not that lucky: Poachers sell their skins and body parts for medical and souvenir markets, mostly in China.
"We applaud all agencies that came together to uncover this brazen smuggling attempt," says Chris R. Shepherd, TRAFFIC's deputy regional director for Southeast Asia, in a statement.
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Photo, Sakchai Lalit, AP
Add a Comment
She was Asian? Good thing she didn't try and drive the animal anywhere.
June 02 2011 at 11:17 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyIF THAT'S ALL THE FINE WAS THEN DAH! IT WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN TO THOSE BEAUTFUL ANIMALS THAT NEED TO GROW UP WITH THERE MOTHER AND STAY IN THE WILD....
August 28 2010 at 8:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replycute liitle guy gonna grow up be big kitty kitty !
August 27 2010 at 8:06 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyWWINTERRAYNES YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!! I WISH PEOPLE WOULD EDUCATE THEMSELVES ON THE SUBJECT BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO TAKE OVER OUR COUNTRY SO FREELY !! IT IS FACT PEOPLE !!!
August 27 2010 at 8:02 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyYou know all this crap going on in the world today, boils down to , NO--- BODY, I mean NO-- BODY, is punished for doing anything wrong, and what little they get, doesn't deter anyone else! With all the people in the world, punishment and restitution should be # 1in the court systems, because not everybody has their head up their ass! Your rights are earned, when you abuse them, you should lose them!
August 27 2010 at 7:24 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyI cant imagine how many have not been found. These people should be put in jail, a small cell just big enough to lay down and no food or water, oh wait thats cruel and unjust punishment. These poor animals that people want to have as pets that are wild. Killing them for their skins etc. What kind of humanity is taking over this world. I wish they could be punished in a way that they wouldnt do it again. Money is the root of all evil, oh so true. I dont think there is anything humans wouldnt do for a dollar to animals. Thats why there are puppy mills. Anything for a buck! IF there is a god he will make them pay for ever.
August 27 2010 at 7:20 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyShe didn't really seem religious to me, leon, judging from the way she treated that cub. Or were you just trying to make a political statement?
August 27 2010 at 7:18 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThis is off on a tangent based on the story, but CHINA really needs to get over their whole cultural beliefs about prized medicines made from tigers and sharks and many other animals. They kills these animals not for meat, but for useless trinkets and make useless powders out of bones and teeth to ingest in the belief it will cure disease. I am Chinese, but I am a Western Chinese person. I would be fine with China's much outdated belief system when it comes to animal parts (not meat) if so many animals didn't have to be slaughtered for a pointless purpose. Some of China's Eastern medicines might actually work, but most are useless and a waste of animal life.
August 27 2010 at 7:11 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyB.S....that cat was on the menu for that Thai biotch!!! Who is she kidding; another passenger asked her to carry it aboard. This slope should be taken straight to the gallows for immediate execution.
August 27 2010 at 7:08 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyhow would you like it if i suficated ur dumb a-zz :o) loza
August 27 2010 at 7:07 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHot 5 Deals
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