The Star 10 Oct 09;
IPOH: This year alone, the Perak Wildlife and National Parks Depart-ment (Perhilitan) uncovered and destroyed 47 tiger traps near the Royal Belum Rainforest Reserve.
State Perhilitan director Shabrina Shariff said the traps were found during the anti-poaching Ops Jerat that began early this year.
“The latest trap was the one that snared a tiger near the reserve on Saturday,” said Shabrina.
A five-year-old 120kg tiger had one of its limbs seriously injured by the wire trap and is being treated at the Malacca Zoo.
“There could be more traps that we have yet to find in the forest,” she said.
Shabrina said 24 Ops Jerat checks had been conducted along the East-West Highway near the rainforest.
“As of October, we arrested five people for possessing snares,” she said.
She said two men from Kelantan were also arrested early this year for buying tiger parts in Grik.
Shabrina said Perhilitan would continue to search and destroy the snares.
“We will also put up cameras at tiger hotspots and have officers going undercover to obtain more information on poachers,” she said.
There are currently between 30 to 40 tigers left in the Belum rainforest reserve.
Meanwhile, WWF species conservation manager Reuben Clements said the Federal Government needed to set up an anti-poaching task force to secure key tiger-populated areas in the long run.
