[Kennypor]

Thursday July 15, 2010
MYT 5:34:00 PM

Rare tortoises, frogs, chameleons confiscated

By TEH ENG HOCK

KUALA LUMPUR: Two travel bags containing protected animals have been confiscated by the Customs Department at KL International Airport. There were 369 Radiated Tortoises, five Madagascar Tortoises, 47 Tomato Frogs and several chameleons, Department Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsuddin said.

He said the animals were brought in by hand luggage by two women from Madagascar on Wednesday. “The tortoises were bound with masking tape to prevent them from moving, while the chameleons were stuffed in socks to prevent detection,” he said, adding that the animals cost an estimated RM250,000.

In another case, Perhilitan officers seized products made from parts of endangered animals from a shop in Petaling Jaya. Abd Rasid said they recovered five tiger claws, two beaks of rhinocerous hornbills, two Sambar deer trophies, a handbag made from Asiatic cobra skin, a pair of shoes made from python skin, three feathers from Birds of Paradise, one Barking Deer trophy and 96 trophies made from elephant tusks.

He said the products were estimated to cost RM75,000. Speaking at a press conference, he said the culprits behind the trading of endangered wildlife could face up to seven years imprisonment and a maximum fine of RM100,000 per species. Abd Rasid Samsuddin said the 700 birds recovered from a raid in Jinjang on Tuesday were estimated to cost a total of RM600,000 to RM700,000 in the black market.

Nine Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, 24 Black Capped Lory, two Twelve-wired Birds of Paradise and three Palm Cockatoos were recovered in the raid, but 10 Black Capped Lory were already dead. These exotic species were protected under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act, he said, which provided for a fine not exceeding RM100,000 per species, a maximum of seven years jail, or both.

Also recovered were 66 Common Shamas, 64 Red-whiskered Bulbuls, one Blue and Yellow Macaw, 246 Oriental White-eyes, 59 Yellow-fronted Canaries, 12 Long-tailed Parakeets, 103 Blue-crowned Hanging Parrots, two Yellow-crowned Bulbuls and one Emerald Dove. These birds were protected under Section 68 the Wildlife Protection Act.

Illegal traders could face a maximum penalty of RM3,000 and three years jail, he said. One Blue-crowned Hanging Parrot and 22 Oriental White-eyes were found dead, possibly from stress due to the cramped storage conditions in the warehouse.

The raiding team also found a Leopard Cat and a Lesser Green Leafbird, which were protected under Section 64(2) of the Wildlife Protection Act. Perpetrators could face a maximum fine of RM3,000 and two years imprisonment. Other animals seized were 10 Blue-rumped Parrots and an albino Long-tailed Macaque, estimated to be seven-months old.