KOTA KINABALU: A local antiques dealer was arrested and suspected body parts of protected wildlife, including tiger teeth, were seized in a joint enforcement operation at business premises on the city’s popular Jalan Gaya.
The integrated operation, codenamed Ops Antique, was carried out by the Sabah Wildlife Department and Royal Malaysia Police through Bukit Aman’s Wildlife Crime Bureau and Special Investigation Intelligence (WCB/PSK).
Among the confiscated items were 16 tusks suspected to be from wild boar, nine teeth believed to be from tigers, 10 teeth suspected to be from bears, several bird's nest products including 394 pieces of bird’s nest with a total estimated weight of 2.243kg, as well as 13 stones or bezoars believed to be from porcupines.
Investigators are determining the source of the suspected tiger teeth, as tigers are not native to Sabah, but do not rule out the possibility that they could have come from a clouded leopard.
According to police, the estimated value of seized items was around RM5.32mil.
The 52-year-old suspect reportedly told the raiding party that he bought bird’s nests and porcupine stones from suppliers in the Lintas area here without valid licences or permits, while protected wildlife parts were obtained from villagers in Tawau at low prices to be resold around Kota Kinabalu.
In a statement on Friday (May 15), the Sabah Wildlife Department said the local man was being investigated under Sections 41(1) and 41(2) of the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 for possessing, storing and displaying wildlife parts without valid authorisation.
If convicted, he could face fines of up to RM250,000 and jail for up to five years, especially for offences involving fully protected species.
The department stressed that wildlife crime posed a serious threat to the sustainability of Sabah’s biodiversity.
It thanked the police for their strategic cooperation in combating such crimes and said enforcement efforts would be stepped up.
Anyone with information on wildlife crime is urged to channel it to the department to support ongoing protection efforts.
