Josephine Jalleh The Star 9 Oct 10;
BALIK PULAU: The National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) has seized the two endangered Bengal tigers owned by convicted wildlife smuggler Anson Wong from a private fruit orchard in Teluk Bahang near here.
They also removed a 1.52m-long crocodile, four wildcats and six pythons from the 1.6ha orchard which is believed to be owned by Wong’s family.
Ten department officers and Malacca zoo officials were involved in the operation yesterday morning.
Another Perhilitan team went to Wong’s office in Jones Road in George Town where they seized about 20 snakes from 9am to noon.
The seizure at the orchard drew much attention with media personnel arriving as early as 7.30am to wait for the tigers to be carried out of the premises.
Village folk and passers-by also lingered in the area with their cameras in hand ready to snap pictures of the endangered species.
As the first tiger was carried out in a cage at 10am, there was a commotion when everyone tried to close-in to take photos of it.
The second tiger, which was much bigger than the first one, was moved out of its enclosure at 10.15am.
All the animals were sent to the Penang National Park where over 50 other animals seized on Thursday, belonging to Wong and his wife, were placed temporarily. The animals seized on Thursday were birds, snakes and monitor lizards.
Lizard King's 'pets' to have new home
Looi Sue-Chern New Straits Times 9 Sep 10;
GEORGE TOWN: The two male Bengal tigers belonging to wildlife smuggler Anson Wong Keng Liang, also known as the Lizard King, will have a new home soon.
The animals, kept for over a year at Wong's farm about 800m from the Teluk Bahang Tropical Fruit Farm near here, were seized by Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) personnel in an operation at 10am yesterday. The tigers would be sent to the Malacca Zoo.
The big cats were taken from the farm, along with a crocodile, four pythons and four small wildcats believed to be jungle cats, in a Malacca Zoo lorry and an elephant management unit truck after the raid.
The animals appeared to be in good condition. It was learnt that they are currently being kept at the National Park in Teluk Bahang nearby, together with birds and other reptiles seized from the farm and another location in Balik Pulau on Thursday evening.
Perhilitan personnel seized more than 30 birds believed to be hill mynas (tiong mas) from a farm in Balik Pulau on Thursday before proceeding to Wong's farm in Teluk Bahang.
It was believed that the department had seized more than 60 animals kept by Wong and also inspected one of his premises in Jalan Jones, Penang.
State Perhilitan director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the entire operation was handled by the department's headquarters.
He said a press conference would be held in Kuala Lumpur.
The raids and seizures at Wong's premises followed the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's decision last week to revoke all licences and special permits issued to Wong, 52, and his wife, Cheah Bing Shee, to sell or possess wildlife animals.
Cheah's latest application to obtain a permit to export wildlife animals under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008, had also been denied.
Wong was sentenced to six months' jail and a RM190,000 fine last month for smuggling in 98 boa constrictors.
He was caught at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Aug 26 when his bag, which contained the boas, two rhinoceros vipers and a Mata Mata turtle, burst open on the airport's luggage conveyor belt, while on transit from Penang to Jakarta.
Wong had served time in the United States for animal trafficking about a decade ago, when he was sentenced to 71 months in prison.
Department moves in on Anson’s animals
Tan Sin Chow The Star 8 Oct 10;
BALIK PULAU: More than 50 animals belonging to convicted wildlife smuggler Anson Wong and his wife have been seized by the National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan).
The animals, comprising birds, snakes and monitor lizards, were seized from a farm here and a fruit orchard in Teluk Bahang yesterday evening.
The Perhilitan team first went to the farm where they seized the birds, which include hill mynas, before proceeding to the orchard at 6.30pm to seize the reptiles. The snakes were mostly pythons.
They had wanted to also seize two Bengal tigers, a crocodile, a few giant tortoises and more snakes kept at the 1.6ha orchard but had to postpone the operation to today as it was getting dark.
An officer, who declined to be named, said they were unable to continue the task as it was risky to do so since the animals were active at night.
He said the animals seized yesterday would be placed temporarily at the Penang National Park nearby.
He said the snakes to be seized today included a python which was more than 3m long.
Reporters, who had waited at the orchard since 8am yesterday, were barred from entering the premises by its caretaker. The orchard is believed to be owned by Wong’s family members but it was not known who owns the farm here.
Some 20 Perhilitan officers were involved in the yesterday’s operation. They came in three pickups, two cars and a Unit Pengurusan Gajah (Elephant Management Unit) lorry which was brought from Lancang in Pahang.
It is learnt that they had earlier also gone to Wong’s office on Jones Road.
A man who lived near the orchard said the owner seldom mingled with his neighbours.
He said he had seen pythons, tortoises and two tigers when they were first brought to the orchard but seldom hear the tigers roar.
He said he had seen a man, believed to be Wong, who came once in a while to the orchard in a luxury car.
It was earlier reported that Perhilitan would seize all wildlife in the possession of Wong and his wife as all permits and business licences issued to them had been revoked.
Wong was arrested at the KL International Airport on Aug 26 for trying to smuggle out 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a Mata Mata turtle without permit while on transit from Penang to Jakarta.
He was sentenced to six months’ jail and fined RM190,000 by the Sepang Sessions Court.
Officers raid Lizard King's farms
New Straits Times 8 Oct 10;
GEORGE TOWN: The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) raided two premises in Penang linked to wildlife smuggler Anson Wong.
The raids were conducted yesterday afternoon at two farms in Teluk Bahang and Balik Pulau.
Perhilitan officers from its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur raided the Teluk Bahang farm at 6.30pm.
They seized a number of reptiles, including monitor lizards and a python. There were also two Bengal tigers, a crocodile and other animals at the farm.
Owing to the late hour, the department will be seizing the other animals today.
Earlier, at the farm in Balik Pulau, several exotic birds called tiong mas were seized.
It is believed that more than 50 animals were seized in both raids.
Perhilitan officers will be visiting another of Wong's premises in Jalan Jones here today.
On Aug 26, 52-year-old Wong, nicknamed the Lizard King, was detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport after more than 90 snakes were seized from his luggage.
On Sept 6, he was sentenced to six months jail and fined RM190,000 by the magistrate's court in Sepang.
All licences and special permits issued to Wong and his wife to sell or possess wildlife have been revoked.
In a statement, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said the decision was made with the consent of minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas on Sept 22.
A new application by Wong's wife, Cheah Bing Shee, to obtain a permit to export wildlife under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008 had been denied, the ministry had said.
In 2000, Wong was sentenced to 71 months' jail in the United States after he pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking.
