KOTA KINABALU: A local man was sentenced to three years’ jail after pleading guilty to possessing protected wildlife species without a permit in Tawau district.
Jufrie Abu, 42, had been arrested earlier when wildlife officials found a monkey (Macaca nemestrina) and a pangolin (Manis javanica) at Kg Kalumpang along the Tawau-Semporna road at around 11pm on June 10.
According to the Sabah Wildlife Department in a statement, both species are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 where possessing the animals without permit would be an offence.
Jufrie pleaded guilty at the Tawau Sessions Court and was sentenced to 36 months’ jail for possessing the pangolin and 24 months of imprisonment for having the monkey.
The court ordered for both sentences to run concurrently from the date of sentencing.
The SWD warns against possessing any protected species and said that the department would step up their patrols and efforts to stop these activities.
It also urged the public to work with them by sharing information of such activities if they know of any.
