Three held for poaching, tiger carcass found

KUALA TERENGGANU: Three people were detained for illegal poaching after authorities found a carcass of a tiger (Panthera Tigris) at their home in Pasir Semut, Kemaman.

Terengganu’s Department of Wildlife and National Park director Mohd Hasdi Husin said the three were detained on Wednesday at about 6.30pm.

The three – from Terengganu, Pahang and Sarawak – are in their 50s.

Mohd Hasdi said the three were handed to the police for allegedly killing the tiger and trying to sell its body parts for medicinal purposes.

The Panthera Tigris is a critically endangered animal.

“Acting on a tip-off, three of our officers posed as buyers and made a deal where a deposit of RM10,000 was to be paid to the men on Wednesday evening.

“We raided the house in the evening where we introduced ourselves and the raiding team found the carcass in the bathroom, chopped into four, as they allegedly attempted to sell the tiger’s skin, bones and teeth.

“Apart from that, the meat was intended to be sold to restaurants selling exotic meat,” he said.

He said poachers frequently hunt tigers as their body parts are used in traditional Chinese medicine and fetch high prices.

He said there were fewer than 400 tigers left in the Malaysian jungles.