KOTA TINGGI: Three men, including a cancer patient, who were caught with the carcass of a female Malayan tiger inside their MPV’s boot, have been jailed seven years each and fined RM250,000.
The three did not have a permit to have the Malayan tiger, which is a fully protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716). This is the first case to be prosecuted since amendments to the Act took effect on Feb 1, 2023.
According to the facts of the case, police received a tip-off about individuals transporting a tiger carcass and found the three behaving suspiciously at a petrol station in Felda Tenggaroh, Mersing. The police then discovered the dead tiger in the vehicle at about 6.10am on Sept 16.
The carcass, the vehicle and mobile phones were seized.
Earlier, it was reported that the animal was believed to have been caught in a snare and had six gunshot wounds to the head, which caused its death.
Sessions Court judge Hayda Faridzal Abu Hasan imposed the sentence after Md Shaheezam Md Salim, 49, Nazerin Tomiran, 47, and Mohamad Nazrol Tomiran, 28, pleaded guilty to the charges.
The court also ordered the trio serve an additional seven-year jail term if they failed to pay the fine.
The three earlier pleaded for leniency, citing illness and family responsibilities, with Shaheezam telling the court that he has five children, earned only RM1,800 a month as a plantation driver and suffered from stage four liver cancer.
DPP Fatin Hanum Abdul Hadi, however, pressed for a deterrent sentence due to the seriousness of the offence.
“This case involves the country’s priceless natural heritage. The Malayan tiger is an iconic species, represented on the national coat of arms, the logos of the Royal Malaysia Police, the armed forces and Maybank,” she said, citing a report in The Star in 2010 of a decree by His Majesty, the Sultan of Johor, banning the poaching of wildlife in the state.
Fatin said tigers played a critical role in the food chain as well as the ecosystem, and cautioned that the animal’s extinction would harm human survival.
“As of 2018, the tiger population dropped to fewer than 200. Current estimates place it at under 150. Malaysia is one of only 13 countries with natural tiger habitats, and the Malayan tiger is found only in Peninsular Malaysia.
“A heavy sentence is necessary to send a strong signal that wildlife crimes are taken seriously by Malaysian courts,” she said.
The prosecution further argued that the species was critically endangered and listed under CITES Appendix I, which prohibits trade except for research or zoological purposes.
“It is projected that if no drastic action is taken, Malaysia will lose its wild tiger population within the next five to 10 years,” she said.
The court ordered that the tiger carcass be destroyed, while the MPV and four mobile phones belonging to the accused be forfeited.
Commenting on the case, Kanitha Krishnasamy, director for Traffic in South-East Asia said Malaysia could not afford to lose more tigers and that every tiger snared and shot was a blow to the effort of countless government agencies and NGOs working on the ground.
“The strong penalty is reflective of the seriousness of the crime, especially when tiger numbers are already so low.
“Hopefully this goes some way in sending a deterrent message.”
