Noor Adzman Baharuddin and Adib Povera, New Straits Times 30 May 09;
ALOR STAR: Local conservationists have estimated that there are now fewer than 500 Malayan tigers left in the jungles in the peninsula.
As of yesterday, the number had dwindled by five.
This follows the seizure of five dried Malayan tiger skins from two Thais, in their 50s, at Km1.3 of the Changlun-Bukit Kayu Hitam Expressway yesterday.
One of the suspects had tried to pass himself off as a Thai policeman when they were stopped by the state Anti-Smuggling Unit in the 6.50am incident.
However, sensing something amiss, officers manning the roadblock ordered the suspects to open the boot of their Thai-registered car.
To their surprise, the officers found five pieces of dried Malayan tiger skins, with the animals' stuffed heads intact, inside the compartment.
Unit Commander Mohd Noor Idris said the dried skins, each measuring about two metres long and between 0.3m and 0.6m wide, were valued about RM90,000.
He said preliminary checks showed the tigers had been killed in the jungles of Perak and Kelantan.
The case would be handed over to the Wildlife and National Parks Department. It would be investigated under Section 64 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
The suspects face a maximum fine of RM8,000 or five years' jail, or both upon conviction.
On Thursday, the unit detained a man after he was found with a number of sex- booster pills and 10 penis enlarging machines in Jalan Kilang Tebu here.
Acting on a tip-off, a team raided a double-storey house about 5pm.
The unit also seized 160 packets of L & R fertiliser, 56 pieces of satellite signal control equipment and seven parabola discs from the 48-year-old suspect.
Mohd Noor said the items were smuggled into the country from China. They were to be sold in the black market.
