Madagascar. Nearly a thousand endangered animals will return home

An operation to arrest smugglers was carried out in May in the southern province of Chumphon. Thai police caught the perpetrators and secured 1,117 live and dead animals from Madagascar – according to the officers, it was the largest such operation in the history of the country. The rescued animals were taken under the care of local veterinary services, but the authorities of both countries decided that the animals should return to their hometowns.

The secured animals include ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), tawny lemurs (Eulemur fulvus), spider web turtles (Pyxis arachnoides) and radiant (Astrochelys radiata). All of these species are endemic to Madagascar – this means that they do not occur in the wild anywhere else in the world.

On Wednesday, Thai authorities held a ceremony to officially hand over the animals to representatives of the Madagascar government. 961 individuals will return to the island by air. The animals will go to special care centers.

According to data from the anti-animal smuggling organization TRAFFIC, Thailand is the most important legal recipient and exporter of endangered species from Madagascar. In addition to legal operations, there is also a thriving market of smugglers who sell lemurs and turtles to collectors of exotic animals. However, these species are completely unsuitable for keeping at home – they require strictly defined conditions to live, which are extremely difficult to recreate outside of native ecosystems.