New Straits Times 12 May 12;
GEORGE TOWN: The authorities foiled two separate attempts to smuggle live pangolins, tortoises and arowana fishes worth RM241,000 recently.
The Penang Wildlife and National Parks Department first rescued 94 live pangolins at the cargo complex in Batu Maung here, and 103 tortoises from a pet shop in Bukit Mertajam on Thursday.
The 50-year-old shop operator was detained and later released on police bail.
Department director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said the smugglers had placed the pangolins in 40 different boxes mixed with live crabs. "We believe the pangolins were brought in from a neighbouring country and were headed to Hong Kong."
Meanwhile, the state Fisheries Department detained a Taiwanese man who was carrying 241 arowana fishes worth RM128,500 in two bags at the Penang International Airport yesterday.
The 35-year-old was heading to Guangzhou, China, when he was stopped at the airport check-in counter at 7.30am.
Fisheries director Mohd Sidek Md Jahaya said records showed the man had been here four times since last November.
Crab ruse can’t hold water
Winnie Yeoh The Star 12 May 12;
NINETY-FOUR pangolins believed to be bound for the cooking pots in the region were seized by the authorities at the cargo complex in Batu Maung, Penang.
The importer had shipped the animals in boxes from Sabah and declared them as crabs.
However, checks by the Penang Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) found that 43 of the 49 boxes contained pangolins.
State Perhilitan director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said they were still investigating where the protected species worth about RM106,000 were heading.
“We believe the animals will be sold in foreign markets where the demand for exotic meat is high.
“The price of the pangolin meat can go up to RM220 per kg.
“We have not arrested anyone yet. But we have information on the importer and exporter,” he said at the Perhilitan office in Jalan Gurdwara, George Town.
The smuggling attempt was foiled at about 12.30pm on Thursday in an operation led by state Maqis chief Abdul Hamid Sulaiman and Perhilitan officer Tang Teong Kim at the Kuala Lumpur Airport Services’ (KLAS) cargo complex.
Jamalun said the case was being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716) and if convicted, the offender would face a fine between RM50,000 and RM100,000 or a jail term up to three years.
In a separate case, the department’s licensing unit led by officer Rofley Ambuka raided a petshop in Bukit Mertajam and found 103 turtles not listed in its registry.
There were 40 Southeast Asian Box Turtles (Cuora amboinensis), 41 Giant Asian Pond Turtles (Heosemys grandis) and 22 Black Marsh Turtles (siebenrockiella crassicollis) with a total market price of RM7,000
Pangolins come in as crab consignment
The Star 12 May 12;
GEORGE TOWN: Ninety-four pangolins have been seized by the authorities at the cargo complex in Batu Maung here.
They were in boxes originating from Sabah and declared as crabs.
Imperilled creature : The exotic Pangolin, the meat of which is a highly sought-after delicacy overseas and worth about RM220 per kilo.
However, checks by the Penang Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services found that 43 of the 49 boxes contained pangolins.
State Perhilitan director Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim said it was investigating where the protected species worth about RM106,000 had been heading.
“We believe the animals were to be sold as the price of pangolin meat can go up to RM220 per kilo.
“We have not arrested anyone but we have information on the importer and exporter,” he said at the Perhilitan office here.
The smuggling attempt was foiled at about 12.30pm at the Kuala Lumpur Airport Services' cargo complex on Thursday.
