Police have found 16 tiger cubs in the back of a pickup truck in Thailand – a smuggling hub for protected animals.
Officers made the discovery after chasing the vehicle which was trying to avoid a road checkpoint.
They said the driver told them he was paid 15,000 baht (£303) to deliver the cubs from a Bangkok suburb to northeastern Udon Thani province on the border with Laos.
Police believe the tigers, packed in eight cages, were being sent outside Thailand which sees the illegal trade of protected animals and widlife parts, often used for traditional East Asian medicines.
The driver faces a possible four-year jail term and 40,000 baht (£808) fine on wildlife smuggling-related charges.
TBWG