Seized ivory processed and accounted for, says Perhilitan

PETALING JAYA: The stockpile of seized ivory has been processed and accounted for, assured the Wildlife and National Park Depart­ment (Perhilitan).

Perhilitan said to date 4,651 pieces of ivory had been processed, including DNA profiling for internal records and working with International Union for Conser­vation of Nature (IUCN)-recognised researchers from Washington University to identify the source of the contraband.

“Every piece of ivory received by Perhilitan has been processed and recorded according to the standard processing of evidence.

“It is held securely ensuring there is no compromise of evidence in the chain of custody from the time they were handed over by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department,” it said in a statement.

In response to Bukit Bendera MP Zairil Khir Johari’s recent call for an audit on the stockpile, said to be worth RM19mil, Perhilitan said the whereabouts of the seized items could only be disclosed to authorised personnel for “obvious security reasons”.

The department annually updates the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) secretariat on the government-held ivory stockpile.

It also works with Interpol and Cites management authorities to combat illegal wildlife trade, including ivory.

“Seized ivory in the government-held stockpile can be destroyed once the investigations are completed by the authorities,” it said.

Malaysia’s National Ivory Action Plan focuses on preventing the illegal import and re-export of ivory from Malaysian ports and entry points.