Japanese woman arrested in Thailand for smuggling baby otters

What a muppet.

She otter know better than that...

well...I can believe her "I don't know" answer...It is possible to make it through 3 years of university here and be devoid of common sense.

Well you can't exactly know every retarded law, and so far her claims are more or less not malicious, but feeling sorry for 10 otters and trying to transport them in a suitcase? It certainly smells doubt.

I guess she had otter plans for them.

Probably thought they were weird-looking hamsters. fair enough!

Otter stupidity.

She has reportedly been charged with unauthorized possession of protected wildlife.

Are they trying to clamp down on the places which are capturing/breeding and selling the protected wildlife?

If not, the protection is rather selective.

She was quoted as telling police interrogators, "I did not know that it was illegal."

Then why try to smuggle them??

And taking baby otters away from their mother(s)??

Lock her up!

"I did not know that it was illegal."

Doesn't work in other countries.

http://www.chiangraitimes.com/japanese-college-student-arrested-at-don-mueang-international-airport-for-trying-to-take-10-otters-back-to-japan.html

She must have been otter her mind !!!

Joke aside, 4 years university student and be that stupid , really??!!

well...I can believe her "I don't know" answer...It is possible to make it through 3 years of university here and be devoid of common sense.

Lol!

If she felt sorry for them why didn't she just let them go instead of stuffing them in a suitcase where they would probably have suffocated?

This statement: "detained in Thailand on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 10 baby otters out of the country without permission", Thai police said.

And this statement: "She has reportedly been charged with unauthorized possession of protected wildlife."

...seem to contradict. So which is it? Both? Apart from that, what is the truth here? Is there a market for otters in Japan, and could she have been asked to do this?

If kittens sell for ¥400,000 yen, I would hate to guess what one otter is worth. Maybe ¥1,500,000 x 10. She could of done well, apart from animal cruelty and introducing non native species. She should be put in a suitcase for a few days.

There must have been something fishy about her.

At least she wasn't smuggling baby gerbils, lol

10 pet otters or otters for all her family and friends. As if. I wonder how much she was going to sell them for or how much she was payed to smuggle them. Also I wonder what else she has smuggled in the past. Thai authorities know all about smuggling and I am sure they will get to the bottom of it.

If you look at Facebook there are a HUGE number of otter videos shared by Japanese people... clearly the latest fad.

"I did not know that it was illegal." The suspect said she saw the otters being sold in a Bangkok market for 1,000 baht (about 3,400 yen) each, felt sorry for them and decided to take them home with her,

After teaching in universities in Japan for many years I can totally believe her excuse. These 'young adults' (slash kids) no nothing about the outside world. Next time you are talking to a Japanese person ask them what the capital of Taiwan is. 90% will not be able to answer, even though, Taiwan is Japan's closest neighboring country. I believe her excuse!

Taiwn is Japan’s closest neighboring country.

Really? I could have sworn it’s Russia. I’ve seen bets won over this point....

Often been tempted to put a few things in my suitcase from Thailand but never otters..,,,0

Get otter here! You expect them to believe that?

Thailand authorities aside... how was she going to deal with Japanese Customs?