A TOTAL of 25 pitiful baby macaques who had been captured by wildlife traffickers were rescued from a forest in Ratchaburi today (May 31) where they had been stuffed in blue net bags and hung from the base of a tree, TV Channel 7 and MNG Online said.
Mr. Sirikoon Sangktaku, chief of Khao Prathap Chang wildlife sanctuary, Chom Bueng district, was notified by a community leader that a villager, Mr. Phrae Khamkerd, had spotted a large number of baby macaques in the forest where he had gone to collect mushrooms.
He said he heard a sound like a baby crying and thought someone had abandoned a baby in that forest but when he got close he realised they were baby macaques.
Found at this spot, around 200 metres from the road, were blue net bags containing the baby macaques, some bags held one, others two to three of them. They were pitifully crying and struggling in the bags.
On the ground were some unused cable ties with the wildlife traffickers having put some fruit and yams for the baby monkeys to eat in these bags.
Sirikoon said macaques are a protected wildlife and they were captured in the wild and left there to be transported and sold. Each baby macaque could be sold for around 1,500 and 2,500 baht with there being people who like eating this type of animal.
If news of the rescue of these baby monkeys had not spread, officials would have waited to ambush and apprehend the criminals, he added.
While officials were bringing the baby macaques out of the forest they found two men riding around the area on a motorcycle. They were inspected but said they had come to collect nests and were released because they did not appear to be linked to capturing the baby macaques.
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Baby macaques rescued after wildlife traffickers had captured and placed them in blue net bags. Photos: MNG Online
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