Otter, turtles, marmot… Smuggled animals wreak havoc on a Bangkok-Taipei flight

Passengers on Thai Vietjet Air flight VZ564 between Bangkok and Taipei experienced a chaotic journey to say the least. Thai media report that, on Wednesday October 4, four-legged intruders invited themselves into the cabin. Two people boarded the plane with around 30 wild animals in their suitcase, some of which escaped during the flight, as shown in images posted on social media.

Taiwanese authorities announced Thursday that they had seized 28 turtles, two otters, a marmot and two unidentified rodents found dead after the plane landed at Taoyuan airport. Two people suspected of animal trafficking are under investigation, they added.

On the Thai side, Suvarnabhumi airport, the largest in the kingdom, admitted human error when going through baggage control. “After viewing the surveillance images, we discovered that the traffickers were two foreigners whose luggage went through the X-ray scanner”declared the airport manager. “One of the employees became suspicious and asked someone else to search the luggage. But he did not do so (…) We have suspended this employee and we are investigating.”, is written in the press release released during the night from Thursday to Friday. Thailand is a notorious hub for wildlife trafficking, usually destined for major markets like Vietnam or China, where they are used in traditional medicine.