Thailand farmed or hunted for their meat, which is considered a delicacy, and for their supposed medicinal properties. Although such trade is illegal, the famous Bangkok market Chatuchak is still known for the sale of endangered species. The practice of keeping wild animals as pets threatens several species. Baby animals are typically captured and sold, which often requires killing the mother. Once in captivity and out of their natural habitat, many pets die or fail to reproduce. Affected populations include the Asiatic black bear, Malayan sun bear, white-handed lar, pileated gibbon and binturong. Thailand is divided into 76 provinces (, changwat),
Twelve Provinces of Han" recorded that in 30 BC Gu Yong (谷永) mentioned: There was a great flood in Yao's time, the land was divided into the Twelve Provinces... Yan Shigu of the Tang dynasty wrote this annotation in volume 85 of the "Book of Han": The Twelve Provinces were Ji, Yan, Yu, Qing, Xu, Jing, Yang, Yong, Liang, You, Bing, and Ying. Twelve Provinces The Twelve Provinces is a term used in ancient Chinese histories to refer to territorial divisions during the reigns of the mythological emperors Yao and Shun of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The "Annals of the