KOTA KINABALU: A resort offering pangolin soup and meat for an "exquisite" experience for tourists is going to pay expensively after authorities swooped in on their illegal activities.
In an integrated crackdown dubbed Ops Khazanah on Feb 23, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) officials together with the police had raided a resort in Semporna district, after getting information of the operators storing and serving the protected species.
“During the raid, a live pangolin as well as several pots containing cooked pangolin in herbal soup were found,” SWD director Soffian Abu Bakar said in a statement, Tuesday (Feb 24).
Three individuals were also arrested to facilitate probes under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, he said.
He said as a species listed as totally protected in Sabah, no one is allowed to possess, keep, sell or serve this animal as a meal in any way in the state.
Those found guilty can be fined between RM50,000 and RM250,000 and jailed at least one to five years, he said.
“We are taking this matter as well as any incidents of preparing protected species as exotic meals to tourists very seriously, and would take strict actions against perpetrators,” said Soffian.
He said such irresponsible actions were not only illegal but would affect environmental protection initiatives while tarnishing Sabah’s image as a responsible sustainable nature tourism destination.
“We are stepping up patrols and enforcement to protect our wildlife in Sabah,” he added.
