ALOR SETAR: Twelve eagles worth more than RM25,000 were rescued by the Kedah Wildlife and National Parks Department from a house in Bukit Jenun, Pendang, near here on Tuesday.
The department's director Muhammad Ali Che Aman said a 41-year-old man was also arrested after failing to provide any documents to prove he had legal possession of the eagles.
"Spurred by our intelligence report, a team of eight raided the premises and found the birds, some in the porch and others in the back of the house, with their feet tied to stop them from flying.
"Where the eagles came from, what they are for and the actual value of the birds are all under investigation. All I can say is that the value is in the thousands and the total could reach more than RM25,000," he said when contacted Wednesday.
Muhammad Ali said the eagles that were found are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716) and guilty parties, under Section 68(2)(a) of the same Act, could be fined not more than RM100,000 or face a jail term of not more than three years, or both.
He added that after receiving a court order, the eagles would be released to their natural habitat.
Among the species of eagles rescued were the accipiter trivirgatus, machearhamphus alcinus, spizaetus cirrhatus and the collared falconet (microhietax caerulescens).
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