Thailand, and especially Bangkok, is a shopper’s paradise. An outstanding variety of products, appealing to a huge diversity of tastes (and budgets) are available. Visitors are truly spoiled for choice. However, amongst the vast array of things you could buy in Thailand, you are also likely to come across products made from parts of wild animals or plants. Most of these (such as crocodile skin bags and belts) will have been legally produced in an appropriate way. However, you are also likely to find some products, such as ivory carvings, the origins of which is questionable. There are also items that can be sold legally within the country, but cannot be legally taken out of the country. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each individual to know what is right and what is wrong according to the law, and to act accordingly. As a visitor in an unfamiliar setting, this is obviously very confusing, so here are some tips to help you make the right decisions.
- Ensure that what you buy won’t be subject to fines or confiscation in your own country when you return home. Stay within the law, so you don’t unknowingly or mistakenly buy something or do something you shouldn’t.
- Make certain you are not inadvertently supporting criminal networks engaged in the illegal and often very cruel trade in wild animals.
- Support the conservation of Thailand’s rich natural heritage of wildlife
IVORYIllegal ivory trade is a serious global problem that is driving the slaughter of elephants in Africa and Asia. Taking ivory out of Thailand is illegal. Taking it into your own country is almost certainly illegal. (This is true for at least the 166 signatory countries of CITES, the international convention which prohibits international trade in ivory.) Despite anything shopkeepers might tell you about where it came from, you should never buy products made from or containing ivory. This includes whole tusks, carvings of various statues, name seals, bracelets, necklaces and rings.HAWKSBILL TURTLE SHELL:There are five species of marine turtles naturally found in the seas of Thailand both in the Gulf of Thailand, and in the Andaman Sea. All of them are increasingly endangered by the destruction of nesting beaches, entanglement in fishing nets, pollution, and the wildlife trade. Turtle-shell jewelry including bracelets and hair combs is made mostly from the carapace of the hawksbill turtle. All turtles are protected by Thai law and by international law. GIANT CLAM AND TRITON TRUMPET SHELLS:All giant clam shells and the triton trumpet are protected by law, and it is illegal to buy them, or to take them out of the country.SEAHORSES:Seahorses are fascinating creatures that mate for life, and have an unusual reproductive system with the male incubating the eggs. Unfortunately large quantities of dried seahorses are traded each year for traditional medicines. Seahorses are now protected by law. You may encounter them in the form of a dried seahorse on a key chain. Buying a product like this is illegal.TIGERS AND OTHER LARGE CATS:
Tigers as well as all other Asian large cats (including leopards, clouded leopards, snow leopards, Asian golden cats, etc) are all protected by national and international law. Buying tiger skin rugs, tiger skulls, claws, teeth or medicines containing tiger bone is completely illegal. BATSThere are well over 100 species of bats in Thailand. Fruit-eating bats play a vital economic role in pollinating important fruit crops such as durian and bananas, while insect-eating bats help to control mosquito populations and other insect pests. Thai wildlife law now protects all bats. SHATOOSHShatoosh, known as the ‘King of Wools’, is from the Tibetan Antelope, also called the Chiru. The antelopes are killed in order to harvest this wool to make expensive shawls, which has led to a serious decline of these animals. Dealers sometimes give potential buyers false information, claiming that the wool is collected from captive animals or that it is collected from bushes, having been rubbed off from passing animals. The Tibetan Antelope is now listed on CITES Appendix I, which prohibits any commercial trade. These shawls are smuggled into Bangkok and sold illegally.
Remember, you do have a choice, and if in doubt, it may be better to choose not to buy at all, than to become a victim of illegal wildlife crime and risk the penalties imposed. THE PENALTIES : Breaking the wildlife law in Thailand is punishable by up to 4 years in prisonHELP STOP THE ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE : To report traffickers, please call 1362, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. (Source: TAT)
|
