mei mei chu The Star 22 Jul 19;
PETALING JAYA: First, it was photos of food. Now, the Instagram fame game has grown to celebrities and social media influencers sharing pictures of their exotic pets, many of which are protected wildlife. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and conservationists say this growing trend is fuelling the demand in the illegal wildlife trade.
The Star found that since 2015, celebrities and social media influencers, some with over three million followers, have been publicly showing images of endangered wildlife kept as households pets.
Among the popular wildlife are dusky leaf monkeys (lotong) and leopard cats (kucing batu). The Star also found a sun bear and an Asian palm civet.
These wildlife, mostly juveniles that can be easily bought online, are often photographed wearing diapers, collars and clothes.
In the posts, the owners call them their “babies”, drawing excited responses from followers asking where to buy them.
According to preliminary research by Malaysian Primatological Society co-founder Muhammad Zaki Zainol, at least 1,238 online wildlife trade posts have been shared on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram between October 2017 and May this year.
He found that primates such as the dusky leaf monkey are becoming the most traded wildlife.
The high consumer demand has increased the market prices of wildlife, said Zaki.
It is learnt that dusky leaf monkeys have become so popular that online stores selling custom clothing for these primates have also mushroomed.
Unfortunately, many of these animals do not survive their time in captivity.
Besides images of the owners babying the animals, there are also obituary posts after they die.
In January, former Dewi Remaja finalist Fazreen Fazera streamed an Instagram live video of herself playing with her dusky leaf monkey to her 107,600 followers.
The video, which ended with her screaming as the primate snatched her phone, went viral and was featured on several media outlets.
Another celebrity who has previously posted photos of his exotic pet is Instagrammer Ervan Rizuan (405,000 followers).
In his response, Ervan said he got a licence to rear his dusky leaf monkey in 2016 but declined to provide more information. The Star also contacted the other celebrities for their comments but there has been no response. Some of them have since removed the photos from their accounts.
Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia director Dr Melvin Gumal is against the practice of having such pets.
“It is irresponsible. Showcasing them as pets pushes the idea that these endangered animals make good pets,” he said.
“Endangered wildlife should remain in the wild and not serve as a play thing to get an influencer to look cool and garner more likes.”
He said social media personalities should instead use their influence to speak out against wildlife crimes by posting images of protecting or conserving wildlife.
Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim voiced concerns that this social media trend would indirectly create demand that fuels the illegal wildlife trade.
“Most artistes or celebrities are public figures with their own fans and followers. Their actions can start trends that are emulated by social media users,” he said.
“Totally protected wildlife cannot be reared or kept. It is an offence under Section 68 of the Wildlife Conservation Act unless the minister approves a special permit under Section 14 (2).”
Abdul Kadir said that licensed wildlife owners also have a responsibility to be sensitive about how they portray the wildlife on their social media accounts to avoid encouraging people from illegally owning wildlife.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act, highly traded wildlife including sun bear, leopard cat, slow loris and several otter species are classified as “totally protected wildlife”.
The dusky leaf monkey is classified as “Protected Wildlife” under the same Act.
Wildlife protection NGO Traffic senior communications officer Elizabeth John said followers wanting to stay on trend might not consider how the animal came into their possession.
“All of the wildlife would have been taken out of the wild illegally, many juveniles would have been taken from families or mothers that were killed, nests targeted and raided, or packed and smuggled in horrendous conditions and quite a number may not have survived the journey,” she said.
The Star ran an expose about how easy it was to buy and sell wildlife online in 2016.
However, the online trade continued to boom because it is not a crime to advertise exotic pets online.
Perhilitan has proposed making the advertising of exotic pets online a crime under the upcoming amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act.
Currently, action can only be taken against individuals if they are caught red-handed smuggling the animals or if the animals are found on their premises.
The illegal buying and selling of wildlife came into the spotlight after singer Zarith Sofia Yasin was charged with keeping a sun bear cub in her condominium unit last month.
A Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur has fixed Aug 26 for the case management of her case.
Days after the sun bear was found, The Star discovered a protected Brahminy kite eagle that was held captive for a year in a cage at a house in Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Last Friday, a video of two tigers strolling around Kampung Besul in Dungun, Terengganu went viral on social media.
Based on the tigers’ tame behaviour, Perhilitan Terengganu director Abdul Malek Mohd Yusof believed the tigers were kept as pets before being set free by their owners.
Perhilitan: Hand over your illegal wildlife pets
The Star 22 Jul 19;
PETALING JAYA: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has called on illegal wildlife owners to hand over their pets before they are caught.
Director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim (pic) said they are monitoring the movement of individuals who sell and possess wildlife illegally, especially those on social media portals.
“Perhilitan would like to urge wildlife owners who do not have a special permit to hand over the wildlife to the nearest Perhilitan office before they are subjected to any legal action,” he said.
Abdul Kadir added that they are currently working to prevent illegal wildlife sale by amending the Wildlife Conservation Act particularly in strengthening the legislation on online trade.
image: https://video.unrulymedia.com/native/images/in-art-close-icon-128x128-16481b937f87b244a645cdbef0d930f8.png
However, they are required to declare their permits in their advertisements.
Abdul Kadir also urged the public to come forward and inform them of any illegal sale and possession of wildlife.
Tip-offs can be made via the Perhilitan hotline at 1800-88-5151, or reported directly to the nearest Perhilitan office.
‘Nothing glamorous about keeping wildlife pets’
The Star 22 Jul 19;
PETALING JAYA: There’s no “wow factor” in keeping wildlife as pets as the practice can be dangerous, say wildlife conservation groups.
“There’s really nothing glamorous or easy about owning a wild pet. Sometimes it’s downright illegal to own one,” said Elizabeth John (pic), senior communications officer of Traffic, which works towards protecting species from unsustainable or illegal trade.
She said the wow factor of owning a wildlife pet as portrayed on Instagram is not an accurate representation of the reality.
“Wildlife requires special diets, special care and can become expensive and difficult to care for,” she said.
“Increased contact with illegally acquired wild animals also puts people at increased risk of diseases and physical harm as the animals can be venomous, aggressive or make unsuitable pets,” she said.
Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia director Dr Melvin Gumal said wild animals are not domesticated like house cats or dogs.
He said wildlife’s rate of survival in captivity depends on the species.
“In some of these instances, wildlife may last just several weeks. I have seen and heard of various cases of wildlife pets surviving for (only a few) weeks. The owner then goes out to buy more,” he said.
Gumal said if the animal is sick, some owners may hesitate to take it to the vet as they fear being reported to the authorities.
“Why keep these animals in cages, in apartments or houses and endanger ourselves?”
He said keeping wildlife in the forests is important to human survival as wildlife is crucial in the regeneration of trees and forests by pollinating flowers, dispersing seeds, and fertilising and aerating the soil.
“Appreciate them, conserve them and watch them in their splendour in the wild. We must do so if the human race is to survive,” added Gumal.
In May, World Animal Protection chief executive Steve McIvor wrote in a US daily that the exotic pet business is worth billions of dollars.
“Every year millions of animal lovers around the world buy wild animals to keep as pets, which many of them later regret.
“Some seek new homes or sanctuaries; others have released their pets, endangering communities, native species and the well-being of their animals,” he said.
