Native market in Sarikei found selling protected wildlife

MIRI: The native market in Sarikei town in central Sarawak has been found to be a venue for selling live tarsier and slaughtered pangolin.

Sarawak Society for Prevention of Animal (SSPCA) president Datin Dona Wee said they received an alert from the public on this.

"A trader inside the Sarikei Tamu building was found selling live tarsier inside a small cage.

"Inside a plastic bag nearby was the meat of a pangolin.

"The trader was heard negotiating the price of these wildlife with passing customers," she told The Star.

Tarsier is a protected primate species.

An alert passer-by managed to take photos of the native woman trader and the wildlife that were being sold at her stall.

The Star forwarded the case to Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Zulkifli Mohamad Aton.

He has directed his ground enforcement teams in central Sarawak to investigate the case.

Sarikei is located about 400km south of Miri.

The SFC is working hard to curb the wildlife trade that is still widespread in Sarawak.

Native markets and some pet shops in the urban centres are selling these endangered animals that were trapped from the forests and from logging zones and plantations.