7 porcupines in Malaysia saved from the cooking pot

on Monday, September 26, 2011

ST PHOTO: FONG CHEE WAI

ALOR SETAR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Seven porcupines destined for the cooking pot were rescued from a farm at Padang Terap here. A team from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) from the Federal Territory and Kedah raided the farm and detained two men in their 30s.

Federal Territory Perhilitan officer Celescoriano Razond, who led the raid, said the two men tried to flee when the team raided the farm at about 9.15am on Sunday.

He said the protected animals were believed to be heading to restaurants selling exotic dishes. 'We believe the animals had been kept in the farm during the past six months,' he said. Mr Razond said initial investigations showed that the porcupines were caught by illegal hunters in the state.

Resource articel : straitstimes.com

NGO cries foul over ill-treated orangutans

on Wednesday, September 21, 2011






Eight orangutans have been found malnourished and depressed in the latest animal abuse case to hit Malaysia.


PETALING JAYA: An international conservation group has ripped into the Malaysian government for turning a blind eye to the plight of eight abused orangutans.

In a press statement today, Nature Alert said that it had investigated the disappearance of the eight from the A’Famosa Resort in Malacca after the orangutan show was banned last April.

The animals were recently discovered at an undisclosed location hunched inside cages with little hair left, malnourished and suffering from severe depression.

“For the last 18 months we’ve been asking Perhilitan (the Department of Wildlife and National Parks) to investigate where and under what conditions these eight orangutans were being held, but they never did,” said Nature Alert’s chief executive, Sean Whyte.

“This is the worst example of cruelty to orangutans I have seen in Malaysia. It’s barbaric and must be stopped right now.” Whyte also said that earlier this year Nature Alert had sent Perhilitan photos of the building in which the orangutans were thought to be held and requesting an immediate investigation. However, all those requests were ignored.

According to him, over 1,500 people have e-mailed Perhilitan to date expressing their concern for the health of these orangutans.

“I’m ashamed my government openly permits this abuse of such a magnificent species,” said Nature Alert’s senior investigator, known only as Shiva.

“The sight of these orangutans filled me with horror and disbelief. Perhilitan must now act quickly to confiscate the orangutans.”

Nature Alert has demanded that the orangutans be immediately confiscated and sent to the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary in Sabah for medical treatment.

Minister should resign

It has also called for the immediate resignation of Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Douglas Embas, for ignoring all pleas to help the organutans. “His failure to do so has caused undue suffering on the orangutans and brought shame to Malaysia again,” said Nature Alert.

The NGO also pointed out that there is no serious attempt by A’Famosa to educate the public, nor is there any conservation programme conducted there. “It is, first and foremost, a golf resort with an entertainment park attached and as such we consider it unsuitable for the confinement of wild animals,” it stated.

This is not the first time that A’Famosa has come under fire. In 2005, orangutans found to be illegally in their possession were confiscated but no one was prosecuted.

In 2010, a video on YouTube alleged that a tiger had been sedated before being photographed with tourists. The resort denied this but Perhilitan subsequently banned future use of the tiger in this way.

Attempts by FMT to contact both A’Famosa and Perhilitan were unsuccessful.


Resource article: freemalaysiatoday.com

From 8am to 5pm ...

on Monday, September 19, 2011

WHAT a busy few months it has been for Malaysia as it has yet again been pushed into the international wildlife spotlight. Aside from 1,764 elephant tusks seized by customs since July in Johor, Penang and Selangor (bad), there was also the rescue of animals this month from deplorable conditions in two Johor zoos after years of pressure from NGOs (good).

In addition, there was a troubling find of 12 snares in August near the East-West Highway, and other evidence to suggest that the Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve is increasingly becoming a poacher's haven, including those from Thailand and Cambodia (bad).

Much has been said about the lack of enforcement where wildlife is concerned because it is not a priority and in most cases, budget is sorely lacking to ensure enforcement officers have adequate resources to do their job well.
And after each criticism, the agencies always respond to say they have beefed up border controls and increased patrols across the peninsula. Then I read the response of Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) state director for Perak on the comment by two NGOs that her enforcement personnel had slackened in their patrols of the Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve.

She stated that this comment was not true because her officers patrol the East-West Highway points from 8am to 5pm every day. Yes, you read that right – 8am to 5pm. Is there something wrong with this statement? Does the director think poachers only hunt during office hours? If I was a poacher, this is a too good to be true statement – enter the forest after 5pm because no officers will catch me.

I am praying that this is a misquote by the reporter as it sends a despairing message to those working to save the Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve that Perhilitan is not serious about protecting our precious wildlife.
It does make you wonder how this matches with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's statements over the years that it has "increased patrols, beefed up security and enforcement staff". If 8am-5pm patrols are what the ministry meant by "increased patrols", it is no surprise that poaching in Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve is worsening.

The director also defended her department by saying the forest reserve is under the jurisdiction of the state, and not the department. Therefore, there are restrictions to what her officers can do. More excuses.
Perhilitan has mentioned repeatedly that the public plays an important role in providing enforcement agencies information on illegal wildlife activities.

What good would it do if we keep providing information but no action is taken because state and federal agencies cannot work together?
Granted that there are matters which the state and federal agencies cannot see eye-to-eye but will the issue of jurisdiction be the end of the Belum-Temengor Forest and its inhabitants as armed foreign poachers continue to pillage our biodiversity?
Their intrusion also poses a threat to our national security?

Resource article: thesundaily.my

100 star tortoises seized in Malaysia

Indian Star Tortoises are in high demand in the international pet trade © Chris R Shepherd / TRAFFIC Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 14th September 2011—Authorities in Peninsular Malaysia yesterday discovered and seized 100 Indian Star Tortoises, packed in a plastic container at a business premises.

The Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans is legally protected by Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act 2010. It is highly prized and remains a target for the international pet trade, despite being afforded legal protection in its range countries of India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, all of whom have banned the species’s international commercial export.

Peninsular Malaysia Wildlife Department’s Crime Unit (WCU) seized the tortoises while inspecting a warehouse that deals with aquaculture products, in the state of Melaka.

Department officers detained a man after he failed to produce valid documentation for possession of the protected animals.

In addition, the owner of the premises does not hold a wildlife business licence from the Department.

“We congratulate the Wildlife Department and call on them to come down hard and make an example of this offender if he is found guilty,” said Chris Shepherd, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Deputy Regional Director.

“It’s traders like this who are giving Malaysia a reputation as an illegal wildlife trade hub: punishing them to the full extent of the law will demonstrate that Malaysia is serious about stamping out illegal wildlife trade.”

The Department has lodged a police report on the man who has been summoned to court where he is expected to be charged under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 on counts of possession of protected species.

He could also be charged under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008, which carries a maximum penalty of a MYR 1 million (USD 379,000) fine or imprisonment of up to seven years.

“TRAFFIC urges the Wildlife Department to arrange for the urgent repatriation of the animals seized yesterday,” said Shepherd.

“We also look forward to a publicly available list of licenced wildlife businesses so the public can make informed and responsible purchases, which will go a long way towards stemming the illegal wildlife trade.”

Just under a month ago, 589 Indian Star Tortoises were seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, although no arrest was made on that occasion.

Resource article: traffic.org

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