Thai company boss 'caught poaching black panther' plans to build road through forest home of tigers and leopards

Scheme in Myanmar would be disastrous for Asian species at risk of extinction such as big cats, elephants and primates, say conservationists

A business magnate caught allegedly poaching protected animals including a rare black panther plans to build a road through a forest that is home to a host of threatened wildlife including leopards, tigers, elephants and primates.

Opponents say the two-lane road would be “disastrous” and would threaten the survival of precious species in south-east Asia.

There have been calls for the construction chief to step down from his role.

Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai Development, one of Thailand’s biggest construction firms, was arrested with three other suspects at a World Heritage site wildlife sanctuary last month, when rangers found them with animal carcasses.

Mr Premchai and the other three men were reported to have been caught camping in the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary and had with them the skin of a rare black female Indochinese leopard, a muntjac deer, a pheasant – all protected species - and soup made from the leopard's tail.

They face charges of illegal hunting, illegal possession of carcasses of protected animals and gun-related charges. Police seized rifles and ammunition.

They later said four tusks found at Mr Premchai’s house were from African elephants and had therefore been traded illegally.

Thai people have been outraged by the poaching case, and on Sunday demonstrators staged protests in central Bangkok, demanding justice. Mr Premchai was granted bail after being detained for two days, local media reported.

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