AFP 16 Apr 19;
Tigers are considered critically endangered in Malaysia
Malaysian authorities have arrested two suspected poachers from Vietnam and seized body parts from tigers and bears, a minister said Tuesday, as the country clamps down on rampant wildlife trafficking.
The Southeast Asian nation is home to swathes of jungle and a kaleidoscope of rare creatures from elephants to orangutans and tigers, but they are frequently targeted by poachers.
Two Vietnamese men, aged 25 and 29, were arrested Monday by a wildlife enforcement team in a national park in eastern Terengganu state, said Xavier Jayakumar, water, land and natural resources minister.
The men were in possession of claws and teeth from the Malayan tiger, he said. The species once roamed the jungles of Malaysia in the thousands but is now critically endangered, with just a small number believed left in the wild.
They also had teeth and claws from bears, teeth from wild boars, as well as hunting equipment including machetes, axes and wire for setting traps, the minister said.
"The two suspects have been arrested and will be remanded for three days to assist in the investigation," he said.
Tiger pelts are prized collectors' items and fetch a high price on the black market, while many animals' body parts are used in traditional medicines in parts of Asia, including Vietnam and China.
Perhilitan nabs two Vietnamese for alleged poaching
joseph kaos jr The Star 16 Apr 19;
PUTRAJAYA: Two Vietnamese men have been nabbed by wildlife officers for alleged poaching.
A morning raid by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) in Hulu Terengganu on Monday (April 15) found close to 200 animal parts belonging to tigers, leopards, bears and wild boars.
Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar said the two suspects, aged 25 and 29, had travelled to Malaysia on a visitor's pass.
“Based on their passport details, they entered the country in December 2018. We believe they could have been camping in the jungle for four months,” he said.
The raid was conducted by Perhilitan's tactical team called the Special Protected Area Response Team (Sparta).
The two Vietnamese are currently under detention and being interrogated.
“We believe there are more people involved in this and are either in hiding or have fled.
“We have seized the two suspects’ handphones and hopefully we can extract information from this, and we will share details with Interpol as well,” Dr Jayakumar told a press conference here Tuesday (April 16).
The team found wild animal parts hidden around a camp set up by the two in a very dense part of the jungle in Hulu Sungai Tersat.
Also found were wire traps, which are said to be used to catch the animals.
Perhilitan believes the animal parts belong to at least two Malayan tigers, two clouded leopards, three sunbears and 12 wild boars.
A forensic test will be conducted on the parts to ascertain the animal species they belong to.
At present, there are an estimated 200 wild Malayan tigers left in Peninsular Malaysia.
Animal parts seized in jungle raid
joseph kaos jr The Star 17 Apr 19;
PUTRAJAYA: Claws and fangs of the endangered Malayan tiger and clouded leopard were among animal parts seized by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) in a raid.
The animal parts that were seized in the raid which was conducted on Monday in Hulu Sungai Tersat, Terengganu, could fetch up to RM500,000 in the black market, said Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.
“This is one of the biggest haul by Perhilitan, and the biggest by far this year,” Dr Jayakumar told a press conference at his ministry here yesterday.
Perhilitan’s tactical team called the Special Protected Area Response Team, or ‘Sparta’ raided the camp at 6.45am on Monday.
The team found the wild animal parts hidden around the duo’s camp in a dense part of the jungle.
Also found were wire traps used to catch the animals.
Perhilitan believes the animal parts belong to at least two Malayan tigers, two clouded leopards, three sunbears and 12 wild hogs.
The department will conduct forensic tests on the parts before concluding which animals the items belong to.
Dr Jayakumar said the two suspects, aged 25 and 29, were being interrogated.
“We believe there are more people involved in this and are either in hiding or have fled.
“We have seized the two suspects’ handphone and hopefully we can extract information from it, and we will share details with Interpol as well,” said Dr Jayakumar.
The minister said the discovery was an unhappy one as it showed that the endangered Malayan tiger continued to be hunted.
“When I saw the photos, it saddened me.
“We hope we can raise awareness that our tigers are critically endangered,” he said.
“Our ministry will step up enforcement but we are seeking the help of the Defence Ministry and Home Ministry to boost our patrol teams with more boots on the ground.”
It is believed that there are only about 200 Malayan tigers left in Peninsular Malaysia.
