Melodious: The white-rumped shama, especially the male (left), is highly sought after by poachers due to high demand overseas. — Photos:THOMAS YONG/The Star
THE reopening of Malaysia’s international borders on April 1 has brought joy to many. However, the National Task Force (NTF) agencies are concerned that this may result in an increase of wildlife trafficking.
They are also concerned that Johor could be a hub for smugglers of wild animals, specifically protected songbirds.
Within seven days after the borders reopened, the marine police arrested four foreigners who were attempting to illegally enter Malaysia near Sungai Kampung Bakar Batu in Johor Baru.
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Checks revealed that one of the foreigners had an air rifle with three packets full of tin bullets and three sharp sickles in his bag.
The suspect admitted to authorities that the items were meant for poaching wildlife in Malaysian jungles.
On April 20, the Royal Malaysian Navy thwarted an attempt to smuggle 120 white-rumped shama birds, 540 oriental magpie robins and 14 fowl (used for cock-fighting). The birds were seized from a boat some 1.2 nautical miles southeast of Tanjung Pengelih in waters off Kota Tinggi at 10.45pm.
Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Aminuddin Jamin said the two incidents were cause for concern as they took place so soon after Malaysia had reopened its borders, which had been closed for two years in order to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Aminuddin says amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 will give authorities greater power against animal traffickers.
He anticipates the poaching and smuggling of wildlife will increase with the open borders.
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“The eastern Johor areas, such as Kota Tinggi, are hotspots for wildlife trafficking because of their proximity to Indonesia and many laluan tikus (remote trails) to evade Malaysian authorities.”
He said poachers normally targeted the white-rumped shama and oriental magpie robin due to the high demand from overseas.
“Such birds are mainly used for singing competitions. In Indonesia, competition is fierce and buyers are willing to spend large sums of money to get hold of these birds,” he told StarMetro.
Aminuddin said the prices depended on the sex and quality of the birds, and that buyers were willing to pay thousands of ringgit for each.
Some 150 white-rumped shama in plastic cages were seized during a joint operation by Johor Perhilitan and MAF near Tanjung Sepang near Pengerang late last year.
“Maybe the number of these birds in Indonesia has significantly reduced, forcing poachers to come to Malaysia in search of them.
“Male white-rumped shama birds are quite expensive in the black market because of the birds’ loud voice and beautiful feathers,” he said.
He also said that under the Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK), multiple agencies had worked together to successfully curb wildlife trafficking in Malaysia.
He added that Johor Perhilitan had a great working relationship with various enforcement agencies under the OBK, including the police, marine police, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Customs Department and the armed forces.
Aminuddin noted that when many countries, including Malaysia, tightened border controls in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, it resulted in a drop in animal trafficking activities.
“Animal smuggling syndicates are very systematic.
Some of the birds seized during a Perhilitan operation in Labis, Johor, earlier this year.
“When they have certain targets, they will capture animals such as birds in large numbers and keep them in premises such as a warehouse or rented houses before moving them at night.
“They usually use a boat, put the birds inside plastic cages, throw them into the sea and arrange for their Indonesian counterparts to pick up at a specified location, typically near the maritime border of both countries,” he elaborated.
He highlighted that the government had made amendments to the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 to give Malaysian authorities greater power when it came to stopping animal trafficking. The Act will be gazetted and will come into effect later this year.
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“The main purpose of having such amendments is not only to protect our wildlife but also animals from other parts of the world that arrive here through illegal means,” said Aminuddin.
“It has come to Perhilitan’s attention that reptiles and other cold-blooded animals that are not indigenous to Malaysia, have ended up as pets.
“Most of these animals are bought online or through pet shops that do not have a licence from Perhilitan,” he said, adding that the amendments would allow the department to mete out harsher punishment to animal traffickers who are caught.
Parrots recovered during a Perhilitan operation in Kota Tinggi earlier this year.
Aminuddin said education and awareness were key to curbing animal trafficking and protecting Malaysia’s wildlife from being illegally kept as pets.
The department, he acknowledged, received a lot of help from the public and non-governmental organisations that channelled information to Perhilitan on wildlife trafficking, thus helping to save the animals.
“Most of the individuals involved with international wildlife smuggling syndicates are locals who want to profit from these illicit activities. If they persist in doing so, these animals will disappear from Malaysia’s jungles.
“If they don’t stop their illegal activities, we will come after them,” he declared.
