(MY) seized snakes sold

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2,400 seized snakes sold, likely to end up in pots- New Straits Times

09 Mar 2007

Aaron Ngui and Nisha Sabanayagam

 

GEORGE TOWN: The banded rat snakes seized by the state Wildlife and

National Parks Department at the Batu Maung Cargo Complex on Tuesday

have been sold.

 

The 2,400 snakes were snapped up by licensed snake traders who rushed

to the department's storage area in Jalan Gurdwara here upon learning

the reptiles were up for sale.

 

No details of the sale were available but it is understood the tender

was called soon after the seizure. The tender closed on Wednesday

afternoon and it is unclear who bought the snakes and where they are

headed.

 

It was reported that the snakes are worth up to RM240,000 based on

current market prices.

 

 

 

Attempts to contact Wildlife Department director Hasnan Yusop for

details were unsuccessful.

 

The snakes were detected about 2am on Tuesday after workers at the

cargo complex heard hissing and sounds of slithering coming from 86

crates. They notified the department.

 

The snakes, not common in Malaysian jungles, are believed to have been

smuggled from Thailand to be exported to Hong Kong.

 

The meat and blood of the snake are considered delicacies in many

parts of Asia. And it is highly sought after by connoisseurs who swear

by its health and aphrodisiac benefits. The skin is used for high

fashion items like boots, coats and wallets.

 

The authorities are now on the trail of the supplier, after obtaining

details from the forwarding agent. There have been no arrests yet.

 

The banded rat snake is a protected species under the Protection of

Wildlife Act 1972 and the Convention of Endangered Species of Wild

Flora and Fauna.

 

As to why the reptiles were not released into the jungle, WWF-Malaysia

chief executive officer Dr Dionysius Sharma said that this would not

be ecologically sound. To release them at one go would mean an over

abundance at one spot.

 

" They would end up starving to death from lack of food, " he said,

adding that sending thousands of snakes to zoos would be too

expensive.

 

Killing the snakes would not be good for the department's reputation,

so they took the only other legal recourse they had, said Sharma.

 

This highlights the problem of not having a proper protocol on what to

do with animals seized in large numbers.

 

" The department will have to draw up proper guidelines, " said Sharma.

 

He added that the snakes would probably be killed for the cooking pot

and their skins.