{"id":35539,"date":"2025-10-15T15:28:43","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:28:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phuket-times.com\/?p=35539"},"modified":"2025-10-15T15:28:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T08:28:43","slug":"slow-loris-dumped-on-phuket-beach-sparks-wildlife-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/slow-loris-dumped-on-phuket-beach-sparks-wildlife-crackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Loris Dumped on Phuket Beach Sparks Wildlife Crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Authorities in Phuket<\/strong> have launched a wildlife investigation after a slow loris<\/strong>, believed to have been used for illegal tourist photo operations<\/strong>, was found abandoned on Kata Noi Beach<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Abandoned Slow Loris Found on Kata Noi Beach<\/h2>\n

The shocking discovery occurred on Friday, October 10<\/strong>, when officials found a slow loris left inside a bag<\/strong> on the sand. The animal\u2019s condition indicated that it had been recently abandoned, likely by a suspect involved in illegal wildlife exploitation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The discovery prompted an immediate response from Karon Police<\/strong>, the Khao Phra Thaeo Wildlife Sanctuary<\/strong>, and local officials. The rescue operation was led by Trin Thip Mongkol<\/strong>, Deputy Mayor of Karon Municipality, alongside Phuket MP Chalermpong Saengdee<\/strong>, following reports from concerned residents and the environmental group Monsoon Garbage<\/strong> via Facebook.<\/p>\n

Suspect Fled Scene Before Officials Arrived<\/h3>\n

\u201cWhen officers arrived, no suspect was present,\u201d said MP Chalermpong Saengdee<\/strong>.
\u201cThey found a small slow loris left behind in a bag believed to belong to the owner. The suspect likely fled upon noticing officials approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n

The loris was rescued and transported<\/strong> to the Phang Nga Wildlife Animal Sanctuary<\/strong> for medical treatment, rehabilitation, and eventual release back into the wild<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Investigation Underway Into Illegal Wildlife Possession<\/h2>\n

Karon Police Chief Colonel Khundet Na-NongKhai<\/strong> confirmed that police are pursuing the suspect<\/strong>, who may face charges for illegal possession of protected wildlife<\/strong> under Thailand\u2019s Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act 2019<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Possessing or exploiting a protected species without authorization carries penalties of up to one year in prison<\/strong>, a fine of 10,000 baht<\/strong>, or both.<\/p>\n

Officials Condemn Wildlife Exploitation for Tourist Photos<\/h3>\n

MP Chalermpong Saengdee<\/strong> strongly condemned the incident in a Facebook post, emphasizing that slow lorises are endangered, venomous, and highly sensitive to light<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing forced to pose for photos causes extreme stress and early death. Many are captured from the wild as babies after hunters kill their mothers, fueling Thailand\u2019s illegal wildlife trade,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Tourists Urged to Avoid Animal Photo Schemes<\/h2>\n

Authorities are urging both tourists and residents<\/strong> to refuse participation in wildlife photo operations<\/strong> often seen in tourist areas like Patong, Kata, and Bangla Road.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery photo taken means another loris is taken from the wild,\u201d Chalermpong added.
\u201cIf people stop paying for these photos, the poaching will stop too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reports of wildlife exploitation can be made to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation<\/strong> via their 24-hour hotline: 1362<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Authorities in Phuket have launched a wildlife investigation after a slow loris,…\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-35539","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nature","8":"category-news","9":"category-other"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.phuket-times.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}