(MY) illegal exotic wildlife trade

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Malaysians 'fund' illegal exotic wildlife trade-New Straits Times

06 Oct 2006

Manveet Kaur and Su Aziz

 

 

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KUALA LUMPUR: Tortoises from India and snakes and lizards from Africa

and Latin America are finding their way into more Malaysian homes.

 

And as the demand for exotic pets grows, so too the list of prized wildlife.

 

However, many people do not realise that a number of these animals are

on the endangered list.

 

While some are imported, most of these are captured from the wild and

smuggled into the country.

 

The Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans), for example, is taken from the

wild in India, where it is protected, and brought in by smugglers.

 

 

 

This tortoise is among the many exotic pets that are being sold in the

Klang Valley.

 

We visited one pet shop in Mutiara Damansara and asked the owner about

Star tortoises.

 

Since he thought we were potential customers, he admitted that the

tortoises were smuggled into Malaysia. He also did not deny that most

of his tortoises and terrapins were obtained through illegal means.

 

He said he had no problem with the authorities when it came to selling

species such as the Star tortoise, Radiated tortoise and the Spider

tortoise, all of which are prohibited from being taken out of their

country of origin.

 

" It's okay for people to rear the tortoises as pets here, but if they

want to send it to their friends outside the country, I wouldn't

recommend it, " he added.

 

He said young people liked tortoises as pets because they were cute.

The Star tortoise can fetch up to RM120 for a six-cm juvenile, while

its highly sought-after cousin the Radiated tortoise can cost as much

as RM1,800.

 

Snakes and lizards from Africa, South America and other parts of Asia

are also available. The prices for these range from RM1,200 to

RM5,000.

 

There are also lizards such as desert geckos, miniature monitors and skinks.

 

Their presence shows that the trade in such animals continues to

flourish although the shop owner said it was getting harder to get

fresh stocks due to frequent crackdowns against smugglers.

 

Following a tip-off, we also checked out a pet shop at Taman Megah in

Petaling Jaya where we found a large number of exotic reptiles and

mammals.

 

This particular outlet also has the largest selection of snakes and

lizards and is a popular haunt for pet lovers. We asked the sales

assistant for Star tortoises and he replied that they didn't have any.

 

" We only have the Radiated and Spider tortoises left. If you want one,

the big ones cost RM1,800 and I can give you a special discount if you

are interested. "

 

He added that many of the customers who wanted tortoises as pets were

from Singapore.

 

" Such animals are prohibited from being imported in Singapore. So,

they get them here and smuggle them across. "

 

About two weeks ago, Indian Customs officers arrested a Malaysian man

attempting to smuggle 1,460 Indian Star tortoises out of Chennai.

 

It was said to be the biggest illegal consignment of the endangered

tortoises they had ever seen.

 

" Due to uncontrolled capture and trade, many of these species are

becoming endangered, " says Chris R. Shepherd, Traffic Southeast Asia

Senior Programme Officer.

 

" Unfortunately, there are loopholes in the legislation that hinder the

authorities from preventing this wrongful exotic pets trade. "

 

In 2004, Traffic Southeast Asia released the report Demand Driven: The

Trade of Indian Star Tortoises, Geochelone elegans in Peninsular

Malaysia, which highlighted Malaysia as a major hub in the

international illegal trade of this species.

 

The study's survey of 31 pet stores in Kuala Lumpur found more than

three-quarters of them sold the tortoises. The reptiles are often

dehydrated, bound with tape and stuffed into stockings to limit

movement when smuggled into the country. Many do not survive the

journey.

 

Shepherd says Customs officers are the ones who can actually make a

huge difference in preventing wildlife contraband from being smuggled

in as they are the ones at the entry and exit points.

 

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), the

government agency managing the country's wildlife, has a licensing

system under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to regulate the import,

export and trade in local wild species.

 

" We are aware that violations of the law exist, " agrees Misliah

Mohamad Basir, the law and enforcement director at Perhilitan.

 

" So we conduct random spot checks at pet shops. If the owners cannot

produce the trader's reference number to verify the origin of their

pets, we will confiscate the animals and send them to our Rescue

Centre at Malacca Zoo, " she says.

 

" And if the quantity of species present exceeds the number written in

the logbook, they will be fined. "

 

Of the 32 registered pet shops in Kuala Lumpur, 20 were raided last

year and 15 of them were in breach of the Wildlife Protection Act

1972.

 

The most common species confiscated were the reticulated python,

leopard cat, hill myna, iguana, greater green leafbird, sulfur-crested

cockatoo, red whiskered bulbul, oriental white eyes, blue-crowned

hanging parrot and yellow-crowned bulbul.

 

The fine for selling protected species without a licence is RM5,000

and/or two years in jail.

 

Misliah says it was difficult to name all the protected species that

were illegally sold in the country because one could never foresee

what endangered animals would be brought in.

 

" Trends change all the time — one month it will be the Star tortoise,

six months later it can be komodo dragons. "

 

To report a suspected wildlife law violation, contact:

 

- Law and Enforcement Division, Department of Wildlife and National

Parks, Km10 Jalan Cheras, 56100 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 03-90752872

Email: pakp

Website: http://www.wildlife.gov.my

 

- Traffic South-East Asia

Unit 9-3A, 3rd Floor, Jalan SS23/11, Taman SEA, 47400 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 03-78803940/Fax: 03-78820171

Email: tsea