Italian-Thai Black Panther

The arrest of Mr Premchai on Sunday (Feb 4) at 2 pm was revealed yesterday after a Facebook user, Khon Anurak, posted photographs of the raid at a jungle camp by forest rangers of the Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary where they found carcasses of several slaughtered protected animals which included a black panther, Khalij pheasant, barking deer at the camp.

The area where Mr Premchai and his friends set up camp is near Huay Pasi stream at Maharaj forest protection unit in the western zone of Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary which is declared off limits and camping is prohibited by forestry law.

Forest rangers also searched the tents where they found a mounted .22 rifle, a mounted high-powered rifle, a double-barreled shotgun and a large number of cartridges of several calibres were hidden.