Thai police on Tuesday rescued 42 endangered pangolins – commonly known as ant eaters – and arrested one endangered species wildlife smuggler in Thailand’s northeastern province of Nong Khai.

Pol Lt Thawan Suthawarat, an inspector specialist at Nong Khai provincial police station, said the detainee was identified as Sira Suwannakoon, 54, a native of Udon Thani. He was arrested while driving a van carrying the endangered species to Nong Song Hong checkpoint on Mitrapap Road, heading to Nong Khai.

The police search his van and found 42 of the scaly ant-eaters, contained in 12 plastic net bags.

Mr Sira told police that he was hired to drive van from Bangkok to deliver the pangolins to a customer in Nong Khai's Rattanawapi district.

The Lao national was to be waiting at Mekong riverside to transport the animals to that country, he said, adding that this was his second delivery of the endangered animal species.

Pangolin scales and pangolin flesh are in high demand in Vietnam and China as medicine although their international trade is banned.

The smuggling and sale of pangolins is prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES.
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