Malaysia: Attempt to smuggle 1,800 protected animals thwarted

Wildlife saved
Adib Povera New Straits Times 22 Dec 10;

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Some 1,800 protected animals, including 196 king cobras, were saved from ending up in the cooking pot in Thailand.

This followed the seizure by state Customs Department officers from an unattended lorry at the Bukit Kayu Hitam duty-free zone complex here on Monday.

Department director Ishak Ahmad said the officers laid an ambush for about two hours before checking the Kedah-registered three-tonne lorry at about 6.40am.

They found 912 turtles, 710 monitor lizards and snakes stashed in plastic sacks and rattan baskets in the lorry.

Several large empty fruit baskets, made from bamboo, were cleverly stacked in front of the sacks and baskets to prevent them from public view, especially Customs officers.

The lorry, had pulled up at the complex and passed all checks when it went through the checkpoint to enter Thailand after midnight.

However, it could not enter Thailand since the border gate is only open between 6am and midnight daily. The driver then parked the lorry by the roadside about 10 metres away from the border gate.

Reptiles escape the cooking pot
G.C. Tan The Star 22 Dec 10;

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Over 1,800 endangered reptiles meant for the cooking pot were rescued by the Customs Department here.

Acting on a tip-off, the department personnel seized 475 hill tortoises, 437 freshwater tortoises, 710 monitor lizards and 196 cobras and king cobras from a lorry that was parked near the Malaysia-Thai duty free zone at about 6.40am on Monday.

The reptiles were kept inside blue sacks, plastic bags and plastic baskets and were hidden between heaps of empty fruit baskets and 20 boxes of sawn logs meant for carving.

State Customs director Ishak Ahmad said the lorry had passed through the Malaysian immigration checkpoint and had queued to enter the Thai checkpoint that opened at 7am.

“We believe the reptiles that weighed 4,300kg were bound for restaurants that sell exotic dishes.

“The smugglers thought they could fool us by hiding the reptiles in the front part of the lorry and loading the empty fruit baskets and logs behind,” he told reporters at the Customs store here yesterday.

Ishak said the department laid an ambush at the lorry that was left unattended.

“We moved in after two hours when there was no sight of the driver or conductor,” he said, adding that it was the biggest seizure of wildlife by the department this year.

The lorry, the reptiles worth RM24,000, and the 20 boxes with sawn logs worth RM6,000, would be handed over to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department for further action, he said.


Customs seize tonnes of reptiles in Malaysia
TRAFFIC 24 Dec 10;

Bukit Kayu Hitam, Malaysia, 24th December 2010—As 2010 draws to a close, Malaysian Customs officials report their largest contraband seizure of the year after they confiscated 4.3 tonnes of reptiles from a lorry parked near the Malay/Thai border.

Working on a tip-off, the Customs officials confiscated a haul comprising over 1,800 monitor lizards, snakes and freshwater turtles and tortoises which were concealed amongst empty fruit boxes and timber on 20th December.

All of the specimens are listed in Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) meaning that any international trade in them requires the appropriate permits.

“TRAFFIC highly commends the Customs officers responsible for this seizure. However, the scale of this haul underlines the fact that the illegal trade of protected wildlife in Malaysia remains a serious problem”, said Chris R. Shepherd, Deputy Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.

“Without the commitment of Customs and enforcement bodies alike across the network of ASEAN countries the illegal trade in endangered species will continue, threatening the future survival of wild animals and plants.”

Among the animals seized were 18 Brown Tortoises Manouria emys and 10 Yellow-headed Temple Turtles Hieremys annandalii, both of which are classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as well as over 400 Giant Asian Pond Turtles Heosemys grandis, which are listed as Vulnerable.

Globally, many turtle populations are under siege as they are being removed from the wild at an unsustainable rate, threatening the future survival of many taxa within this enigmatic group.

These three species, as well the Bengal Monitor Varanus (nebulosa) bengalensis, which was also seized, are protected in Malaysia according to the Wildlife Protection Act (1972).

Under Malaysia’s newly passed Wildlife Conservation Act (2010), which is yet to be implemented, all species in this seizure are protected and individuals caught hunting or trading them could face hefty punishment.

With the increase in wealth and concomitant spending power of many Asian nations in recent decades the demand for wild meat—the likely fate awaiting these animals in this seizure—has increased substantially.

Malaysia along with its ASEAN neighbours is a major source area for illegally traded wildlife in international trade. Given that wild animals are internationally trafficked by land, air and sea, this seizure highlights the important role that Customs authorities play in the war on illegal wildlife trade.

Following this seizure the majority of animals were auctioned off to wildlife dealers while the remainder, those protected in Malaysia, were handed over to the Wildlife and National Parks Department.