KOTA TINGGI: Three men are expected to face charges at the Kota Tinggi Sessions Court following the discovery of a Malayan tiger carcass in the boot of a car in Mersing.
The suspects are aged between 28 and 49 and were arrested on September 16 at Felda Tenggaroh during a joint raid by the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and the Johor Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).
Preliminary investigations revealed that the protected species had suffered severe injuries, likely from a snare trap, along with six gunshot wounds to the head, believed to be fatal.
The raid was carried out after a public tip-off, after which officers stopped a car and discovered the carcass, four mobile phones and the vehicle itself.
The men were arrested for failing to produce a special permit required to possess or keep a fully protected wildlife species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716), specifically under Section 70.
Also seized were items thought to be part of the operation, with an estimated total value of RM294,007.
The Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is classified as a critically endangered species, with very few remaining in the wild in Malaysia.
