Wildlife smugglers dump 300 birds into water to escape authorities

300 rare and exotic birds.

MELAKA: Authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle about 300 rare and exotic birds out the country – but at a high cost.

Melaka and Negri Sembilan Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director Maritime Captain Amran Daud said officers from its Kuala Linggi base intercepted three Indonesians in a boat about five nautical miles from Tanjung Gabang waters near Selangor at 3pm Tuesday.

He said the trio were attempting to smuggle about 300 birds, including the near-extinct Javanese chirping bird into Indonesia.

"Unfortunately, the smugglers flung the cages containing the live birds into the ocean upon seeing the MMEA vessel.

"We only managed to save three birds and the rest drowned," he said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the cages were retrieved.

Capt Amran said the three suspects did not have identification documents and the case has been referred to the Wildlife and National Parks Department, for investigation under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

He said the wildlife smugglers are believed to have the sourced the birds from Vietnam and travelled overland through Thailand and Malaysia, to be sold in Indonesia.