Malaysia: Lizard on the market

K. Suthakar The Star 6 Aug 11;

GEORGE TOWN: It is said that one can buy almost anything at the Air Itam market near here, including monitor lizards and tortoises, a delicacy among exotic food lovers.

This was proven true when a man was found selling the two protected species along the busy road outside the market.

The man, who declined to be named, said he was selling the monitor lizard for RM250 and the tortoise for RM50.

He claimed that he caught the monitor lizard, which weighed about 5kg, in a house nearby while the tortoise was caught in a stream.

The man said he was a former construction worker but he could not get a job following the influx of foreign workers who were willing to work for less money.

“I get some income from selling these animals. This will feed my family,” he said.

It is learnt that the man tried to sell the animals for about four hours but there were no takers.

Penang Wildlife and National Parks director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the man had committed an offence for possessing the animals under Section 60 (1) (a) of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 which carries a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or a jail term of up to two years or both.

“He must obtain a licence from the department to trap the animals and another licence to sell them,” he said.

Jamalun Nasir said he would send his personnel to the market to check on the matter.

“We frequently receive tip-offs from the public on people selling protected species. But we are unable to do much as the suspects would normally go missing when we reach the location,” he said.