Smuggler caught with 16 tiger cubs in Thailand

Published on 28/10/2012 00:00

Police in Thailand who chased a lorry trying to avoid a checkpoint found 16 tiger cubs in the back of the vehicle.

Police said the driver told them he was paid to deliver the cubs from Bangkok to north-eastern Udon Thani province on the Laos border.

It is thought the tigers, packed in eight cages, were being sent outside Thailand. The country is a hub of the international black market for protected animals and wildlife parts, often used for traditional East Asian medicines. The driver faces a possible four-year jail term and £807 fine on wildlife smuggling-related charges.

After their seizure, the cubs were taken to be cared for by wildlife officials.