KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife officials seized an elephant tusk, 10 live pangolins, and 9 kg of pangolin scales during Ops Khazanah in Kinabatangan.
They also apprehended one suspect.
The operation took place at 8.30om on Friday (June 19), near the entrance of a plantation in Kg Paris 3. Wildlife officials inspected a 27-year-old Filipino man and found the items in his possession.
Sabah Wildlife Department Director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar stated that the integrated operation was conducted in collaboration with the General Operations Force.
When asked whether the tusk belonged to a butchered elephant found in a forest reserve in Tongod last month, he indicated that investigations are still ongoing.
“Based on initial investigations, the suspect claimed he had purchased the tusk from someone else, so we can't yet confirm if it came from the hacked elephant,” he said.
Mohd Soffian added that all seized items, along with the suspect, will be investigated under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997.
He urged the public to refrain from participating in such illegal activities and to report any incidents to the authorities immediately.
