Two arrested after bodies of big cats found

Thai police have seized the carcasses of tigers and other big cats believed to have been destined for consumption in China.

A Thai man and a Vietnamese man were arrested yesterday in a raid at a house in Bangkok’s suburbs. Officers had trailed them from southern Thailand after receiving a tip-off.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Theerapat Tharithai said the carcasses of one complete Bengal tiger, two halves of another, and one panther were found in freezers. The suspects told police the carcasses were smuggled from Malaysia and were destined for China.

Thailand is a major market and transit point for wildlife products, such as tiger parts and elephant ivory.

Meanwhile, South African police officers tipped off by an anonymous informer yesterday forced their way into a Johannesburg apartment where they found ten rhinoceros horns and an elephant tusk and arrested a Vietnamese man.

Spokesman Vish Naidoo said the man will appear tomorrow in court on charges that include illegal possession of rhino horn.

Rhino poaching in South Africa, home to most of the world’s rhinos, and across Africa has reached crisis levels.