In June 2022, Ginny, an ageing, overweight Asiatic black bear, was rehomed from her concrete enclosure in the defunct Phuket Zoo to a wildlife sanctuary. Months later, in vastly superior living conditions, she has lost weight and her health has improved. Ginny, along with another bear and 11 tigers, were the first animals to be protected under Thai wildlife protection laws enacted in 2019. The laws were a significant upgrade from existing laws, but the slow pace of change shows how much more work there is to protect the wildlife within Thailand’s borders and beyond. The demand for products made from animal parts is driving some species to the brink. China is particularly known for its appetite for endangered species products, especially for traditional Chinese medicine. More than 20,000 African elephants and 150 tigers are killed each year due to demand from Asian consumers for ivory and tiger parts. Thailand is a convenient hub for the illegal wildlife trade and a significant contributor to wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia. Tonnes of African ivory, pangolins, and more than 1,000 other live animals intended for the black market have been seized at Thai airports in recent years. Thailand attempted to strengthen wildlife protection in November 2019 by introducing the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act. This act imposes harsher penalties for trafficking, including a new category for non-native animals listed in the UN’s CITES convention, and increased penalties for wildlife crimes. This act, along with the National Parks Act, aims to deter such crimes by setting some of the most stringent penalties in the region for illegal wildlife trafficking. Together, the acts aim to fortify protection in key areas for wildlife, wild plants and other living organisms. In most cases, the jail terms for these crimes have been extended to up to 20 years. The 2019 Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act replaced the 1992 Act, which was outdated and inadequate. USAID Wildlife Asia had been collaborating with the Thai government since 2016 to revise the 1992 Act and based the stronger, modernised version on its "Scaling Efforts to Counter-Wildlife Trafficking Through Legislative Reform" policy tool.
The Thai government has pledged to ensure that any wild animals taken into custody will receive adequate care, with efforts made to return them to their natural habitats. If this is not possible, the animals will then be placed in permanent living arrangements that meet their needs.
It was under this provision of the revised Act that the tigers and bears were rescued from the Phuket Zoo, which was shutting down due to financial difficulties, and handed over to the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand sanctuary, a non-governmental organisation based in Phetchaburi.
