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'Virtual zoo' in airport smuggler suitcase included bear cub, two leopards, two monkeys, 2 panthers
BY Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, May 14th 2011, 4:00 AM
FREEDLAND Foundation/AP
A bear cub sleeps in a cage after being confiscated by Thai authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
FREEDLAND Foundation/AP
The entire stash included two leopards and two panthers, which can fetch roughly $5,000 each, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys.
A first-class airline passenger was arrested in Thailand trying to smuggle a "virtual zoo" onto the plane in his luggage.
Anti-trafficking officers opened the Dubai-bound man's bags as he attempted to check in and uncovered a Noah's Ark of sedated creatures curled up inside - including leopards, panthers and a bear.
The live animals were all under two months old and about the size of puppies.
They yawned as the luggage was opened and they were greeted by fresh air.
"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," said Steven Galster, director of anti-trafficking group the Freeland Foundation, who was present during the bust.
"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation," he added. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases," he added.
The entire stash included two leopards and two panthers, which can fetch roughly $5,000 each, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys.
Some were placed inside canisters with air holes, and one of the bags had been abandoned in an airport lounge after the animal inside became too noisy.
The animal wrangler was identified as Noor Mahmoodr, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen who had been under the watch of authorities since he bought the rare and endangered animals on the Bangkok black market.
He is believed to be part of a network of traffickers and was charged with smuggling endangered species out of Thailand, which carries up to four years in jail, police said.
"There's a strong likelihood that some of them wouldn't have survived the flight in the condition they were in," said the Freeland Foundation's Roy Schlieben, who said the animals were taken into the care of local vets.
"The fact they were transported alive would indicate the person at the other end wanted to keep them in their residence or some sort of zoo, or maybe even breed them."
BY Christina Boyle
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Saturday, May 14th 2011, 4:00 AM
FREEDLAND Foundation/APA bear cub sleeps in a cage after being confiscated by Thai authorities at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
FREEDLAND Foundation/APThe entire stash included two leopards and two panthers, which can fetch roughly $5,000 each, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys.
A first-class airline passenger was arrested in Thailand trying to smuggle a "virtual zoo" onto the plane in his luggage.
Anti-trafficking officers opened the Dubai-bound man's bags as he attempted to check in and uncovered a Noah's Ark of sedated creatures curled up inside - including leopards, panthers and a bear.
The live animals were all under two months old and about the size of puppies.
They yawned as the luggage was opened and they were greeted by fresh air.
"It looked like they had sedated the animals and had them in flat cages so they couldn't move around much," said Steven Galster, director of anti-trafficking group the Freeland Foundation, who was present during the bust.
"It was a very sophisticated smuggling operation," he added. "The guy had a virtual zoo in his suitcases," he added.
The entire stash included two leopards and two panthers, which can fetch roughly $5,000 each, an Asiatic black bear and two macaque monkeys.
Some were placed inside canisters with air holes, and one of the bags had been abandoned in an airport lounge after the animal inside became too noisy.
The animal wrangler was identified as Noor Mahmoodr, a 36-year-old United Arab Emirates citizen who had been under the watch of authorities since he bought the rare and endangered animals on the Bangkok black market.
He is believed to be part of a network of traffickers and was charged with smuggling endangered species out of Thailand, which carries up to four years in jail, police said.
"There's a strong likelihood that some of them wouldn't have survived the flight in the condition they were in," said the Freeland Foundation's Roy Schlieben, who said the animals were taken into the care of local vets.
"The fact they were transported alive would indicate the person at the other end wanted to keep them in their residence or some sort of zoo, or maybe even breed them."