960 trafficked animals return from Thailand to Madagascar

Rescued ring-tailed lemurs at a facility in Chonburi province, Thailand. Pic/AFP

As night falls, a team of wildlife officers and veterinarians, in a carefully rehearsed routine, enter the lemur enclosure, nets in hand. One by one, the lemurs are captured, given quick health checks, and secured in travel crates.

Nearby, tortoises are also readied for transport in long, narrow cases lined with grass and straw. Each tortoise is labelled before being placed inside. Later, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai capital, Bangkok, the officers refill water dispensers and peer through the crates' ventilation holes, checking on the animals before departure.

This routine was repeated three times over two weeks, preparing a total of 16 ring-tailed lemurs, 31 brown lemurs, 155 radiated tortoises, and 758 spider tortoises. It marked the culmination of the largest-ever wildlife repatriation for both Thailand and Madagascar.

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