Officials Testing Human Feces, Hope They Belong to Tycoon

It's not every day that a tycoon's feces are tested by the authorities, but such is the case in Thailand. Wildlife officials accuse Premchai Karnasuta—ranked by Forbes as the country's 35th richest person, with an estimated net worth of $240 million—of poaching a leopard and other animals in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in the country's west. AFP reports rangers came up on the camp set up by Premchai, 63, and three others and found 10 carcasses of protected species, including a black leopard, a Kalij pheasant, and a red muntjac. The group was arrested Feb. 4, reports the Bangkok Post. Human excrement was found there, too, and officials say that its presence near the camp is noteworthy.

They don't believe Premchai—who made his fortune in construction and heads the Italian-Thai Development Company, which erected Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport—would have strayed far from the camp when nature called. It's not the only test being conducted: Elephant tusks found in his Bangkok home will be analyzed to determine whether they came from Africa illegally. The Post reports on another potential clue: Two pellets identified via X-ray in the pheasant carcass will be tested and compared to the firearms taken from the suspects, who have denied the allegations. Premchai has a March 26 court date; wary of any potential attempt to flee, Thailand's immigration checkpoints have been told to keep watch for him. (This billionaire is involved in his own poop situation.)