When, in the early hours of December 9 Pol Maj Narongwet Ohn-sungnen, an Inspector with the Amnat Charoen Highway Police, received a tip-off that a pickup truck with a cargo of illegally obtained wildlife was heading his means, he acted swiftly. Well respected ordered street blocks to be arrange and at 3:30 am an outdated bronze Mazda pickup – precisely matching the description given by the informant – turned up at considered one of them. The sport was not up so simply, however. Instead of stopping, Anonymous driving force sped through the checkpoint. All units were mobilized to provide chase and eventually the suspects had been caught close to Baan Kai Kham. Crammed at the again of the truck, police found eighty five long-tailed macaques, all in a pitiful situation. The driver of the truck, Pramot Seupsing, 30, and his accomplice, Sompot Phlaphon, also 30, presumably realizing that claiming the monkeys climbed in by themselves wouldn’t fool the nice minds of the Highway Police, promptly confessed that they’d snatched the animals from nearby Don Pu Ta wildlife sanctuary. This in itself isn’t so uncommon a narrative; the smuggling of protected wildlife for food, fur or the pet commerce is a worldwide downside. However, based on the 2 suspects, the monkeys in query were not destined for a Chinese or Korean banquet, but had been ordered by monks in Central Thailand. The males admitted that this was not the primary time they had been concerned in monkey rustling and that the animals were extremely valued at temples as they’re in style among villagers and encourage locals to come to temple festivals and donate generously. They also cast the temples in an excellent light as they’re seen to be caring for wild animals, the rustlers claimed. A few days later this seemingly wild allegation was given substance by no less an individual than Phra Khru Kittiphachakhun, the Lord Abbot of Chondaen District, Phetchabun, who admitted that a monk in his district had beforehand been accused of receiving stolen monkeys and would possibly properly be involved in this case. The Lord Abbot explained that in previous cases, the monk in qu