A French man was arrested for allegedly owning baby macaques as pets without permission.

The suspect, identified only as Jami, reportedly showed off on his social media that he was taking care of four young primates at a rented house in Soi On Nut 66 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Narupon Thipmontha, Director of the Forest Protection and Fire Control Office, said officials raided the residence on November 14, after receiving a tip-off that a foreigner in the area was keeping the wild animals as pets.

Acting on a warrant issued by the Phra Khanong Criminal Court, police combed through the house and found two male baby crab-eating macaques and two male baby pig-tailed macaques worth a combined 30,000 Baht (680 GBP).

The suspect said he arrived in Thailand to study and had rented the house to stay in. He claimed the macaques were given to him 'by a stranger' and allegedly admitted he lacked the legal documents to own or breed them.

Narupon said: 'The man was charged with unlawful possession of protected wildlife under Section 17 of the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act.'

The violation is punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 500,000 baht (11,340 GBP), or both. 

The seized animals and wildlife-related equipment were handed over to the Wildlife Conservation Office.

Thailand is a major transit hub for the illegal wildlife trade due to its strategic location and extensive border crossings. Exotic birds, reptiles, and other valuable species on the black market are commonly trafficked to other parts of Asia.

Despite efforts to crack down, Thai authorities struggle due to corruption and the difficulty of monitoring porous borders and illegal online markets.

(1 GBP = 44.09 THB)