PETALING JAYA: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has removed several gibbons from the premises of a sacked former employee who was conducting a rehabilitation programme for the endangered primates.
Mariani Ramli, a former ranger who was dismissed from the department in 2017, had previously been given permission by her employer to rehabilitate six gibbons that would later be released into the wild.
Upon her dismissal however, the department withdrew that permission.
Mariani had challenged her dismissal and the withdrawal of the permission by filing judicial review proceedings.
The High Court had in July 2019 set aside the decision to terminate her employment and also the decision to withdraw the gibbons from her care.
However, in November, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision on appeal.
“These gibbons have undergone rehabilitation for the past five years under the hands of Mariani and her team.
“Mariani is concerned that the forced removal and transport of the gibbons to another location will cause unnecessary stress and fear in the animals, and lead to physical harm or even death if not handled carefully," said her lawyer Jessica Binwani.
Jessica said after the Court of Appeal decision, Mariani had filed a motion for leave to appeal to the Federal Court.
She is also in the process of applying for a stay of the decision.
However, a few days ago Perhilitan wrote to Mariani asking for the gibbons to be returned, said Jessica, adding that she had written to the Attorney General’s Chambers on Monday (Dec 28), saying that Perhilitan should respect the court process.
“Since the matter is pending at the Federal Court, the status quo should remain until the final decision of the Federal Court,” she said.
Marina, the founder of Gibbon Protection Society Malaysia (GPSM), ran her conservation programme at a location in Pahang.
She said that Perhilitan had taken away four of the six gibbons that were previously given to her.
Permission for another nine gibbons to be housed at the sanctuary was given to Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil.
A Perhilitan official who did not want to be identified confirmed the operation to “translocate” the gibbons, saying that they belonged to the government.
“We have a right to get back our gibbons. By law, we are the right people to get back the gibbons since we won the appeal in court.
“We have the expertise and facilities to take care of them,” the official told The Star.
Perhilitan director-general Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim did not respond to The Star’s repeated requests for comments.
Gibbons are small apes endemic to South and South-East Asia.
Five species are considered critically endangered, 14 endangered and one vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
Mariani Ramli, a former ranger who was dismissed from the department in 2017, had previously been given permission by her employer to rehabilitate six gibbons that would later be released into the wild.
Upon her dismissal however, the department withdrew that permission.
Mariani had challenged her dismissal and the withdrawal of the permission by filing judicial review proceedings.
The High Court had in July 2019 set aside the decision to terminate her employment and also the decision to withdraw the gibbons from her care.
However, in November, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court decision on appeal.
“These gibbons have undergone rehabilitation for the past five years under the hands of Mariani and her team.
“Mariani is concerned that the forced removal and transport of the gibbons to another location will cause unnecessary stress and fear in the animals, and lead to physical harm or even death if not handled carefully," said her lawyer Jessica Binwani.
Jessica said after the Court of Appeal decision, Mariani had filed a motion for leave to appeal to the Federal Court.
She is also in the process of applying for a stay of the decision.
However, a few days ago Perhilitan wrote to Mariani asking for the gibbons to be returned, said Jessica, adding that she had written to the Attorney General’s Chambers on Monday (Dec 28), saying that Perhilitan should respect the court process.
“Since the matter is pending at the Federal Court, the status quo should remain until the final decision of the Federal Court,” she said.
Marina, the founder of Gibbon Protection Society Malaysia (GPSM), ran her conservation programme at a location in Pahang.
She said that Perhilitan had taken away four of the six gibbons that were previously given to her.
Permission for another nine gibbons to be housed at the sanctuary was given to Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil.
A Perhilitan official who did not want to be identified confirmed the operation to “translocate” the gibbons, saying that they belonged to the government.
“We have a right to get back our gibbons. By law, we are the right people to get back the gibbons since we won the appeal in court.
“We have the expertise and facilities to take care of them,” the official told The Star.
Perhilitan director-general Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim did not respond to The Star’s repeated requests for comments.
Gibbons are small apes endemic to South and South-East Asia.
Five species are considered critically endangered, 14 endangered and one vulnerable under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
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