3 White Tiger Cubs Stolen

December 20, 2013

A 3 man gang stole 3 white tiger cubs worth more than 3 million THB from the Million Years Stone Park crocodile farm in Pattaya. CCTV showed them injecting them with anaesthetic before cutting off the lock to the cage. The police believe it was an inside job.

PATTAYA – December 19, 2013 [PDN]; at 7.00 a.m. Pol. Lt. Col. Saneh Yosroongrueang (Investigation officer of Nong Prue police station, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province) was notified that thieves stole 3 white tiger cubs from the Million Years Stone crocodile park in Pattaya Moo 1 Tambon Nong Pla Lai, Amphur Banglamung, Chonburi province so he rushed to inspect the scene together with Pol. Col. Somnuek Jankate (Superintendent), Pol. Capt. Kornphong Sukvisit (Deputy Inspector), detective police team and forces of forensic police 2.

At the incident officers found Mr. Suthas Kham-orn-sa, aged 41, who is the manager and Mr. Prapas Inmanee, aged 42, who is the caretaker for the tigers were standing waiting for the police. The cage 1.5×1 meters in size that was used to hold the tiger cubs had a broken lock on the floor which had been cut off. Also the officers also found dung from the baby tigers which had dripped along the path and there was also 1 syringe was found on the ground so the police kept it for evidence.

From investigating Mr. Prapas (the caretaker of baby tigers) said that the 3 white tiger cubs were approximately 3 months old 2 females and 1 male that were born by their father Milky, aged 7 and their mother named Ping Lanna, aged 5. Yesterday morning (December 18, 2013) he took the baby tigers out of their cage to let the tourists take photos with them until 5.00 p.m.then he put them back into their cage so they could rest. But on the morning of (December 19, 2013) he went to open the cage to feed them and found that all of them were missing, so he rushed to inform the manager.

Mr. Suthas Kham-orn-sa (the manager of the Million Years Stone Park and Pattaya crocodile farm) revealed that the 3 white tiger cubs were born on October 7, 2013 and were worth for 1 million THB each which Mr. Suan Phanomwattanakul (the owner of the Million Years Stone Park) had informed the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to come and put them into the database by microchiping each tiger cub. Before the incident occurred Mr. Suan went to run some errands at Chiang Rai province and when he heard that the tigers cubs were missing he announced a reward for the safe return of the cubs of 50,000 THB per cub and the capture of the thieves.

The police inspected the CCTV footage and found that at about 1.00 a.m. there was a man who walked around the tigers’ cage, then around 1.13 a.m. 2 other men walked up to the same tigers’ cage then at 1.17 a.m. the 3 men took the 3 tiger cubs out of their steel cage they then fled the scene. They escaped over a 300cm wall with the assistance of climbing a tree first due to there being lots of broken twigs.

Pol. Col. Somnuek Jankate revealed that it might be an inside job involving the park officers who worked with the gang of thieves as the police noticed that the thieves knew about the tiger cubs. However, he sent a detective police team to find investigate for clues so they can arrest the thieves. He also said that if anybody knows or hears anything about this incident to contact the police immediately.