Public concern saves wildlife from cooking pot in Malaysia

Mazlinda Mahmood, The New Straits Times 8 Dec 09;

SHAH ALAM: A year-old Malayan honey bear, a leopard cat and a slow loris were seized from a condominium in Desa Pandan, Kuala Lumpur, in a raid by the authorities on Friday.

A 25-year old woman who works in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur was also detained to have her statement recorded before she was released on bail until Dec 29 for the case to be mentioned in court.

The raid was conducted by a team from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) Selangor following a tip-off from a member of the public. The animals, which were kept in cages, are worth more than RM6,000.

State Perhilitan deputy director Mohammad Khairi Ahmad said there was a high demand for the Malayan honey bear, a protected animal, among exotic food lovers and restaurant owners.

"The woman claimed that the protected wildlife was a personal collection and not for sale.

"We are investigating her claim that the animals belonged to her cousin. We are now looking for a man, in his 30s, to assist in the investigations," he said at the state Perhilitan office, here, yesterday.

Khairi said they believed the animals had been trapped and sold by the Orang Asli in Negri Sembilan.

He said the woman could be charged under the Protection of Wildlife Act which provides for a maximum penalty of RM3,000 fine or a jail term of not more than three years or both on conviction.

Mini wildlife zoo in condo
Christina Tan, The Star 8 Dec 09;

SHAH ALAM: A 25-year-old wo-man has been arrested for keeping a young Malayan Honey Bear, a Leopard Cat and a Slow Loris in a condominium unit in Desa Pandan, Kuala Lumpur.

All the three, classified as endangered species, were found in individual cages in the unit, occupied by the woman and her male relative.

The hotel worker, who had her statement recorded, is out on bail until the mention of the case on Dec 29.

She claimed that the animals belonged to the relative who was not at the condominium when enforcement officers from the Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department raided it on Friday.

They went to the condominium following a tip-off from the public.

Deputy director of the Selangor department Mohammad Khairi Ahmad said they were looking for the male relative, who is in his 30s, to help them in their investigation.

He told a press conference yesterday that initial investigations showed the animals could have been bought from orang asli in Negri Sembilan and kept as pets.

Khairi said the bear could fetch RM5,000 while the big cat and the slow loris were worth about RM500 each in the market.

He warned the public not to keep or buy wildlife as it was against the law.

“This case is only tip of the iceberg. We believe many people out there are keeping the wild animals as pets in their homes.

“This is not the way to love wildlife. They belong in the wild.”

Khairi said that to get a baby bear, a hunter usually had to kill its mother first.

He added that the department would get a court order to send the animals to the Malacca Zoo or release them back to the wild.