Thai police rescue 2 baby orangutans and arrest a trafficking suspect

BANGKOK (AP) — Two baby orangutans have been rescued from being sold in Thailand’s capital Bangkok and a suspected trafficker arrested, police said.

The orangutans were seized Wednesday night and the alleged courier for the seller was arrested at a gas station, police said. The suspect was charged with illegal possession of protected wildlife and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Police said orangutans generally sell for 300,000 baht ($9,000) each.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists orangutans as critically endangered, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibits cross-border trade in the animals.

Orangutans are found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, but their habitat is shrinking due to the growth of agricultural land, making them more vulnerable to poaching. Thailand over the past two decades has repatriated dozens of orangutans to Indonesia.

U.S. Immigration and Customs’ Enforcement and Interpol, the international police organization, estimate the annual value of the illicit wildlife trade at $10 billion to $20 billion.

Police handed over the two orangutans to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for care and safekeeping.