wani muthiah The Star 14 Oct 14;
SHAH ALAM: When found by the authorities, the animals – a Malayan Sun Bear, four Barn Owls and a Common Palm Civet – were crammed in tiny wire cages stacked in the back of a Naza Ria.
The animals, which were being transported from Seremban when the car was ambushed by wildlife officers at a toll plaza, were part of a hoard that included a Leopard Cat and a Malayan Porcupine being trafficked online.
Selangor Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks (Perhilitan) director Rahim Ahmad said that two brothers, aged 20 and 29, were stopped at the Air Hitam toll plaza on the SKVE Highway on Oct 10.
“We seized one Malayan Sun Bear, four Barn Owls and one Common Palm Civet. We also confiscated their vehicle, a Naza Ria,” he said, adding that based on information gathered from the brothers, officers raided their house in Seremban on the same day.
“We found one Leopard Cat, 20 Barn Owls, two Sunda Flying Lemurs and one Malayan Porcupine from the house.
“The porcupine was already dead when officers got to the house,” Rahim said here yesterday.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act, the Malayan Sun Bear, Leopard Cat, Barn Owl and the Sunda Flying Lemur were fully protected animals while the Common Palm Civet and Malayan Porcupine were protected.
Both men, said Rahim, had been put under remand, adding that the combined value of the seized animals – sold for between RM10,000 and RM1,000 each – totalled up to RM30,000.
“The case is being investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Act,” he said.
Under Section 60(1)(a) of the Act, the penalty for keeping protected species without a valid license is a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of up to two years or both.
Under Section 68(1)(a) of the same Act, those having fully protected wildlife without a special permit can be fined up to RM100,000 or jailed up to three years, or both.
Rahim said the seized wildlife would be released back to their natural habitat in a protected area upon acquiring a court order.
“The public is reminded not to carry out activities involving the selling, buying or illegal possession of wildlife,” said Rahim, adding that the two men were nabbed following a public tip-off.
Those with information on wildlife smuggling and trading can contact the department’s hotline at 1 800 88 5151 or its Careline at 1 300 80 1010.
Illegal wildlife trade explodes with advent of Internet
victoria brown The Star 14 oct 14;
PETALING JAYA: The Internet has made a booming trade out of endangered wildlife in Malaysia, allowing people to illegally buy an animal in as short a time as a day.
A search by The Star on major advertising sites showed postings offering endangered animals – anything from a tortoise to a tiger – for sale through a simple online transaction.
All the buyers have to do is to merely search for the animal through the various postings, contact the seller and negotiate a price and delivery method.
An inquiry by The Star for the endangered Radiated Tortoise on a local classified website showed that most sellers responded to inquiries on Whatsapp within a day.
The sellers were ever ready to proceed with the sale and agreed to deliver the tortoise via post after the transfer of funds into their account.
Traffic South-East Asia regional director Dr Chris R. Shepherd said there were “countless number of dealers plying the trade through the social media, classified pages and websites”.
“Due to the countless avenues that online trade has presented to illegal wildlife traders, it has become a growing problem for enforcement agents.
“Traders are selling anything that you can think of online and getting away with it,” claimed Dr Shepherd.
Department of Wildlife and National Parks deputy director-general Dr Zaaba Zainol Abidin said most illegal wildlife traders were part of organised crime gangs.
“This makes it difficult to shut down their activities,” he said.
However, Dr Zaaba admitted that currently, investigations into illegal trade were carried out in a reactive manner – only acting whenever something happened or when a report was lodged.
“After the report is filed, we will track the websites or webpages. In some cases, we have to go undercover to investigate the report,” he said.
According to the International Fund For Animal Welfare 2013 report on “Criminal Nature”, global illegal trade in wildlife was worth some RM62bil annually.
2 held, 30 exotic animals rescued
New Straits Times 14 Oct 14;
SHAH ALAM: In its biggest raid this year, the Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) arrested two brothers who were selling exotic animals online, rescuing close to 30 animals.
Based on public tip offs, the department managed to nab the two men, aged 20 and 29, at a highway toll plaza on Friday.
They were caught red-handed ferrying a Malayan sun bear, four barn owls and a common palm civet in a multi-purpose vehicle at the Ayer Hitam toll plaza on the South Klang Valley Expressway at 2.30am.
Selangor Perhilitan director Rahim Ahmad said the department believed the two were selling the wild animals through the Internet
to customers who either wanted to rear the animals or sample them as food.
After interrogation, he said, the department’s officers raided the brothers’ house in Bandar Seri Sendayan in Seremban at 2.30pm.
Another 20 barn owls were discovered together with two Sunda flying lemurs, a leopard cat and a Malayan porcupine.
“The animals we recovered will be released in Perhilitan’s reserve areas. We are investigating how the suspects obtained the animals and whether they are part of a bigger syndicate,” he said at the Selangor Perhilitan office here yesterday.
Rahim added that under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, the Malayan sun bear, leopard cat, barn owl and Sunda flying lemur were fully protected species while the common palm civet and Malayan porcupine were protected species.
The seized animals were worth up to RM30,000, according to the prices provided by the brothers.
A Malayan sun bear’s asking price could reach RM10,000, the leopard cat and Sunda flying lemurs RM2,000, Malayan porcupine (RM1,000), barn owl (RM600) and common palm civet (RM200).
Under section 60(1)(a) of the act, keeping a protected wildlife species without a licence could land offenders in jail for not more than two years or a fine of not more than RM50,000 or both.
If found guilty under section 68(1)(a) of the act for keeping a fully protected species, the culprits are liable to a fine of not more than RM100,000 or jailed not more than three years or both.
To report illegal wildlife activity, the public can contact the Perhilitan Hotline (1-800-88-5151) or Careline (1-300-80-1010).
