Anti-poaching drive stepped up in Kuantan, Malaysia

New Straits Times 19 Feb 10;

KUANTAN: The state Wildlife and National Parks Department will conduct a series of operations to crack down on poachers who had set up snares at the Persit Forest reserve in Kuala Lipis.

State director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said a team of wildlife rangers was dispatched to the area near Sg Yu on Monday after enforcement officers had cleared 17 snares the day before.

"The snares were found along animal tracks heading to a nearby stream.

"We believe there are still a large number of snares in the forest, especially along the route near the river, and our rangers are expected to clear them soon," she said.

Khairiah added that the snares could trap mouse-deer, Malayan tapir, wild boars, leopards, tigers and baby elephants.

She said the wire snares could have been set by the poachers to capture the endangered Malayan tiger.

On Sunday, wildlife officers found the mutilated carcass of a leopard, known locally as harimau kumbang, trapped in a snare, without its legs, paws and skin at the forest.

They also found the carcass of a male clouded leopard (harimau dahan) and four wild boars nearby. All the animals had died from multiple wounds.

Khairiah said initial investigations revealed that a local from the nearby village was the culprit.

Sources from the department said the man was familiar with the forest routes and had vast experience in poaching.

It was also learnt that the suspect acted as a middleman and had support from certain individuals, who would supply him with the necessary items, including the wires to prepare the snares.

It is learnt that a trapped adult Malayan tiger could fetch up to RM150,000, depending on its size.