US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK7581

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 007581 
 
SIPDIS 
 
UNCLASSIFIED 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV, EB, AND OES 
USDOC WASHDC FOR 4430/EAP/MAC/OKSA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ECON, PGOV, PREL, TH 
SUBJECT: HALF-BAKED IDEA FOR ZOO INCREASES DOUBT ABOUT THAI 
COMMITMENT TO WILDLIFE 
 
REF: A. CHIANG MAI 233  B. BANGKOK 3798 
 
This cable coordinated with Consulate General Chiang Mai. 
 
1. (U) Summary:  Chiang Mai's Night Safari Park, although 
set to open officially on January 1, opened privately on 
November 16 in a ceremony presided over by Thailand's Prime 
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.  Controversial since its 
inception, for reasons including alleged substandard 
treatment of animals, the Night Safari ignited even more 
protest from animal groups when the Night Safari's director 
suggested serving dishes of exotic animals in one of the 
zoo's restaurants.  The suggestion was particularly 
startling as Thailand is bidding to be a leader in regional 
wildlife conservation, and hosted the launch of the ASEAN 
Wildlife Enforcement Network on December 1, which aims to 
reduce illegal wildlife trafficking.  Following vocal public 
protests, the director withdrew the suggestion in the same 
week, but the episode demonstrates a deep lack of 
understanding on the part of Thai government officials 
toward wildlife conservation.  End Summary. 
 
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A RECIPE FOR DISASTER 
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2. (U) From its inception, the Chiang Mai Night Safari Park, 
part of a development plan for Prime Minister Thaksin 
Shinawatra's home province, drew opposition for its 
location, importation of animals, water consumption, and the 
perception that it is copying Singapore's Night Safari (see 
Ref A).  The long-delayed unveiling of Chiang Mai's Night 
Safari Park finally came in a private ceremony presided over 
by Thaksin on November 16, to which 200 Thai businessmen 
were invited and offered the opportunity to provide funding 
for the zoo. 
 
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SPECIES NOT ENDANGERED, BUT MEDIUM-RARE 
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3. (U) In the wake of a controversial deal with Kenya to 
export 175 animals to Thailand (see paragraph 5), the event 
brought even more news that was hard for animal wildlife 
groups to swallow: Plodprasop Suraswadi, the Director of the 
Night Safari and Assistant to the Minister of Natural 
Resources and Environment, suggested that the park's 
restaurant should offer dishes of exotic animals, including 
imported zebra, lion, and crocodile.  Plodprasop added that 
a set meal, prepared by prominent chefs, would cost 4,500 
baht (about US$112).  [Note: Plodprasop was under 
investigation earlier this year for exporting 100 tigers to 
China illegally, while serving as Permanent Secretary to the 
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.  He was 
transferred to an inactive post during the investigation. 
Eventually cleared of charges, he has returned to 
government.] 
 
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PUBLIC COULDN'T STOMACH THE IDEA 
--------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) Plodprasop's insistence that the types of meat 
offered were not from endangered species and would be 
legally obtained did little to pacify animal lovers. 
Protesters gathered at the Night Safari entrance on November 
21, led by Lanna Dog Rescue, Northern Wildlife Conservation 
Foundation, and the Thai Animal Guardian Association. 
During meetings with Lanna Dog Rescue, monks from Chiang 
Mai's Wat Pa Daeng temple stated that serving wildlife is 
against the teachings of Buddhism.  In addition, Thai 
elephant conservationist, Sangduen Chailert, selected by 
TIME Magazine as an Asian Heroine, said she was disappointed 
in the idea, which she believes was not carefully thought 
over and has given Thailand a bad image around the world. 
Following public outcry, Plodprasop took the idea off the 
table.  He retracted his suggestion at a November 21 press 
conference, saying that such cuisine would confuse visitors 
and go against the park's theme of education and animal 
conservation.  (Locally raised crocodile and ostrich meat, 
however, will still be offered.) 
 
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OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE 
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5. (U) Thai and international wildlife groups have long 
vocalized their distaste for the zoo's importation of 
animals and its plans to care for them, including 
allegations that cages are too small and that sunlight and 
roaming needs are inadequate.  Earlier discussions included 
rare species of white rhino, leopards and spotted hyenas, 
all protected under the Convention on International Trade in 
Endangered Species (CITES), but were modified after public 
protest.  According to a wildlife NGO in Thailand, mortality 
rates for transporting Kenya's animals over such a long 
distance could range from 10-40 percent.  Another Thai 
wildlife NGO reported that the zoo covets Australian koala 
bears as well.  However, not only are koala bears pricy, but 
they come with strict living standards that the Night Safari 
has not met.  Kenya requires much less stringent standards 
for animal exports, said the NGO.  In the meantime, Thailand 
plans to export 8 elephants to Australia at the end of this 
month. 
 
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A SEAT AT THE TABLE? 
-------------------- 
 
6. (U) Kenya's motivation for offering the animals as a gift 
to Thailand is uncertain, but various accounts suggest that 
the animals are being used as a pawn in state transactions. 
Officials state that the animals will bring increased 
tourism for both countries; perhaps not coincidentally, Thai 
Airways is set to begin a direct flight from Bangkok to 
Nairobi.  Deutsche Presse-Agentur and other news sources 
focused on a statement made by Kenya's President Mwai 
Kibaki, during the Thai delegation's visit to sign the MOU, 
in which he offered Kenya's gratitude if Thailand were to 
support Kenya's bid for a seat on the UN Security Council. 
An official at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuted 
speculation that the animals were a quid pro quo for 
Thailand's support of Kenya's Security Council bid, telling 
EconOff that the animals were "just a gift," and that, in 
return, Thailand plans to offer Kenya technical assistance 
such as elephant training.  EconOff at US Embassy Nairobi 
echoed US Consulate Chiang Mai's sentiments that the deal 
lacked transparency, and suggested that public opposition 
might eventually stop the deal entirely. 
 
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A BUFFET OF DOUBTFUL EPISODES 
----------------------------- 
 
7. (U) The exotic menu suggestion only highlights a deeper 
struggle about wildlife issues in Thailand, which has a long 
tradition as both a range state and large market for exotic 
wildlife.  Besides the controversial issues surrounding the 
Night Safari and Plodprasop's export of tigers to China, 
other episodes also cast doubt on Thailand's commitment to 
wild animal conservation.  Thailand maintains a chain of 
"tiger farms," perhaps in hopes of an eventual lifting of 
CITES restrictions on trade in farmed tigers and tiger 
parts.  There has been no forward movement in the pending 
legal case against Thailand's premier zoo, Safari World, for 
its alleged illegal importation of orangutans (Ref B).  And 
although wildlife poachers are frequently arrested and Thai 
laws allow judges to sentence poachers up to five years in 
prison, no one has ever gone to prison in Thailand for 
wildlife smuggling, and fines are insignificant when 
compared to the value of smuggled animals and animal parts. 
 
8. (U) Comment.  Although Plodprasop's withdrawal of the 
exotic animal menu has taken the issue off the front burner, 
his having made the proposal in the first place increases 
doubts about the attitudes of Thai officials when it comes 
to wildlife conservation. The episode was particularly ill- 
timed, occurring just two weeks before the Thai-hosted 
launch of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network on December 
1, which aims to increase international cooperation against 
illegal wildlife trafficking. On the positive side, the 
outcry within Thailand against the proposal is evidence that 
environmental civic groups and the general public are paying 
attention and ready to call government officials to task in 
egregious cases such as this.  End comment.