Putting an end to poaching

Sad end to nature: Personnel from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks carrying the seized ivory to be destroyed in Setia Alam, Negri Sembilan.

PORT DICKSON: Malaysia will join forces with other countries to end wildlife poaching and smuggling.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the Government strongly supported efforts to combat illegal wildlife trafficking, especially the ivory trade.

“The world is facing the loss of more elephants, thus threatening the future of elephants across the continents.

“According to the Convention on Interna­tional Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), over 20,000 elephants may have been poached across Africa in 2013,” he said at a ceremony to destroy seized ivory at Bukit Pelandok here yesterday.

Dr Wan Junaidi said Malaysia had actively participated in regional and international enforcement collaborations.

The country, he added, had confiscated more than 4,000 pieces of ivory and various other wildlife species through the coordinated efforts of an international enforcement network and public information.

“Results from the forensic analysis revealed that the ivory came from Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya and South Sudan.

“However, unlike other countries identified as transit points, Malaysia does not have a domestic market for ivory or the ivory-carving industry,” he said.

At the event, some 9.55 tonnes of ivory worth US$20mil (RM77mil) were destroyed.

The ivory was seized at the low-cost carrier terminal of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, as well as in Port Klang and Butterworth. — Bernama