Thai police rescue 2 baby orangutans and arrest a trafficking suspect

BANGKOK (AP) — Two baby orangutans have been rescued from being sold in Thailand's capital Bangkok and a suspected trafficker arrested, police said.

The orangutans were seized Wednesday night and the alleged courier for the seller was arrested at a gas station, police said. The suspect was charged with illegal possession of protected wildlife and faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Police said orangutans generally sell for 300,000 baht ($9,000) each.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists orangutans as critically endangered, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) prohibits cross-border trade in the animals.

Orangutans are found only in the forests of Sumatra and Borneo, but their habitat is shrinking due to the growth of agricultural land, making them more vulnerable to poaching. Thailand over the past two decades has repatriated dozens of orangutans to Indonesia.

U.S. Immigration and Customs’ Enforcement and Interpol, the international police organization, estimate the annual value of the illicit wildlife trade at $10 billion to $20 billion.

Police handed over the two orangutans to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for care and safekeeping.

One of two baby orangutans rescued by police is seen in a basket in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 14, 2025 after Thai police arrested a suspected trafficker. (Thai police Central Investigation Bureau via AP)

One of two baby orangutans rescued by police is seen in a basket, in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 14, 2025 after Thai police arrested a suspected trafficker. (Thai police Central Investigation Bureau via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s motorcade took a different route than usual to the airport as he was departing Florida on Sunday due to a “suspicious object,” according to the White House.

The object, which the White House did not describe, was discovered during security sweeps in advance of Trump’s arrival at Palm Beach International Airport.

“A further investigation was warranted and the presidential motorcade route was adjusted accordingly,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Sunday.

The president, when asked about the package by reporters, said, “I know nothing about it.”

Trump left his Palm Beach, Florida, club, Mar-a-Lago, around 6:20 p.m. for the roughly 10-minute drive to the airport, but took a circular route around the city to get there.

During the drive, police officers on motorcycles created a moving blockade for the motorcade, at one point almost colliding with the vans that accompanied Trump.

Air Force One was parked on the opposite side of the airport from where it is usually located and the lights outside the plane were turned off.

Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman for U.S. Secret Service, said the secondary route was taken just as a precaution and that “that is standard protocol.”

President Donald Trump departs Trump International Golf Club in the presidential limousine, known as The Beast, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)