KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) staff are trained to handle any cases of wildlife trafficking, says group managing director Datuk Capt Izham Ismail.
He said MAG has a stringent policy against wildlife trafficking, with crew members as well as cargo and baggage handlers given regular training.
ALSO READ: Sky-high security for wildlife
“Most importantly, airports need to be equipped with the right scanning tools to curtail this (crime).
“It (wildlife trafficking) has been a battle that airlines have not just been fighting recently but for many years.
“Wildlife trafficking is unacceptable,” he told a press conference here on Friday (Sept 5).
Izham said he has also held recent conversations with Cabinet ministers Anthony Loke (Transport) and Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (Plantation and Commodities) to relay MAG’s concerns.
ALSO READ: Winning the war on illegal wildlife trade
“There must be a (singular) effort, not just by Malaysia Airlines or MAG alone. It must be a unified effort by the whole country to curtail wildlife trafficking,” he said.
The Star had reported that airlines flying to and from India, particularly from South-East Asia, are required to step up responsibility in curbing the transit of protected wildlife and undocumented animals.
In a circular issued on July 23, India's Civil Aviation director-general Faez Ahmed Kidwai said the Office Guidelines for Deportation of Live Animals Detected as Unbeknownst Imports circular applies to all aircraft operators and airlines operating in India.
According to the circular, there were multiple instances of live animals being brought into India by passengers without proper declaration or clearance.
ALSO READ: Ministry to enhance enforcement against wildlife trade in KLIA
On July 25, the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said it had foiled a bid to smuggle out protected species in a joint operation with KL International Airport’s Aviation Security Team (Avsec) at Terminal 1.
A man was arrested and later charged for having two silvery lutung (Trachypithecus cristatus), and two siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), both protected primates, among others, in his luggage.
The Gibbon Conservation Society, in a statement on Feb 12, said over 5,000 smuggled wild animals from Malaysia were confiscated in India last year.
