NAKHON SAWAN: A wildlife trader was arrested by National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department officials with six macaques in his possession on Wednesday.
Officials led by Sombat Roongtaeng-on, leader of special operations for Conservation Administration Zone 6, and Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division police, arrested Pitak Thongsuk, 40, at his house in Pathum Thani's Lam Luk Ka district.
Six macaques were found in his possession.
Authorities earlier received information that Mr Pitak and another man, who was still at large, had captured monkeys at Wat Samrong in tambon Nam Song of Nakhon Sawan's Phayuha Khiri district on Tuesday, using tranquilising darts.
He was charged with possession of protected wildlife without permission in violation of the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019.
Mr Pitak allegedly told the officials he usually sold monkeys he caught to buyers in nearby Phichit province for 1,000-1,500 baht each.
He said he would catch monkeys weighing 1-3 kilogrammes, male or female.
However, he would not take any that had a mark showing they had been sterilised, to avoid the risk of being caught.
