Sad: Man Busted in Bangkok Airport for Smuggling Two Otters and a Prairie Dog in His Underwear

by Anthony Losanno
Prairie Dog

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It’s sad that people have such little disregard for living things. A Taiwanese man is facing charges around smuggling live animals in his underwear at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) last week. The 22-year-old man was traveling to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) on Thai Airways flight TG632 when authorities noticed a “large bulge in his pants.”

Animals in Boxers

Newsflare reports that officers took the man aside for a more thorough search and discovered he was carrying two Asian small-clawed otters and a prairie dog wrapped in black socks within his boxer shorts. The man was arrested for violating sections of Thailand’s Customs Act, Animal Epidemics Act, and Animal Conservation and Protection Act. The animals were turned over to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

Customs Department spokesman, Phanthong Loykulnant said:

Thailand is not a gateway to smuggle exotic animals out of the country. We will catch anyone who tries to take animals on planes.”

The Asian small-clawed otter is native to Southern and Southeast Asia. It’s the smallest otter species in the world and is listed as vulnerable. Prairie dogs are native to North America. Only two of the five prairie dog species are considered endangered. Neither of these animal species are meant to be pets.

Animals BKK

The animal trade in Bangkok is just sad. I remember years ago going to a market and seeing squirrels dressed in costumes alongside chipmunks, rabbits, and other small creatures. Many of these critters had to have been drugged because they were sitting perfectly in line and not moving much aside from the occasional blink. Parents bought them for children acting as if these were stuffed toys and not accounting for the care they require.

Anthony’s Take: All animals are not meant to be pets and they’re certainly not meant to be transported in your underwear. I don’t understand why people can’t understand that they’re doing more damage then good when they want a little cuddly pet. This also goes for giving chickens and ducks in Easter baskets. Just don’t do it.

(Image Credits: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.)

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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.

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