KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 550 violations of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 were detected between January and June this year, with 87% of them for keeping or using protected animals without permission.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said there were also cases keeping wild animals as pets without a permit.
There were 35 cases involving smuggling of wild animals, sale of wildlife unlawfully hunted (25), hunting without permits (eight) and unlawful delivery of wildlife using courier services (six), he said in a statement here Friday.
He said Johor recorded the most number of cases with 91 cases, followed by Selangor (86) and Kedah (76).
On the number of wildlife seized by the Wildlife Department, Palanivel said they included 362 units of snake parts, live Murai Batu birds (344), African Grey Parrots (260) and 120 units of deer parts.
A total of 25 cases of attempted smuggling of wild animals were detected at the KL International Airport, nine cases at the Bayan Lepas International Airport and one at Padang Besar, Perlis, leading to the arrests of 37 people, including foreigners, he added.
Palanivel said a total of 27 cases were filed at the court between January and June this year, with 16 of the cases disposed of.
The heaviest penalty was on a Vietnamese woman charged with attempting to smuggle monitor lizards through the Bayan Lepas International Airport in Penang last January, who was fined RM70,000, he said. - Bernama
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