KOTA KINABALU: A man's exotic love for wildlife has come back to bite him when authorities raided his house and arrested him for illegal possession of wild animals.
The Ops Bersepadu Khazanah at Kg Nambazan in Penampang on Wednesday (June 10) found that the 57-year-old failed to produce permits for any of the animals he owned, which included snakes, a porcupine, a deer, mousedeer, Bornean Crested Fireback and Silver Pheasants.
The 10.30am raid, arranged by the Sabah Marine Police, Sabah Wildlife Department and the police, saw all the animals worth around RM47,500 confiscated.
Sabah Division 4 Marine Commander Ahmad Amri Abd Rahman said they raided the place after getting a tip-off from the public.
“When we asked the owner for permits or documentation for these animals, he could not produce any,” he said in a statement.
The case will be investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
In a different raid, a 37-year-old local man was arrested in Kg Serusup Tuaran to facilitate probes relating to the illegal possession of protected animal products.
The man was nabbed following the discovery of 300 turtle eggs worth around RM3,000 from the premises, said the Sabah Wildlife Department.
According to the department, despite increased awareness of protected species, laws and regulations, there are still people committing such offences.
“The demand for turtle eggs is still there. That is why we will continue to monitor and carry out operations to weed out these activities,” said the department.
It urged the public to work closely with the authorities to protect wildlife species and the environment, and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities immediately if they have information.
