Cruel business for status and money

Killing trade: Some of the 1,000 songbirds rescued by Perhilitan Johor in April 2021 that were going to be smuggled out of the country.

WHILE the reopening of international borders is much welcomed, there are also downsides to it. For one, it will provide opportunities to poachers from countries nearby to return to the Malaysian jungles and help themselves to our wildlife. This will spell doom for Malaysia’s many endangered wildlife, especially our coveted songbirds.

The common hill myna has seriously declined in numbers in South-East Asia, particularly Indonesia. Other species at risk are oriental magpie robins, which are heavily targeted for the pet trade, and the straw-headed bulbul. Many of these birds are in high demand in Indonesia where the native bird species are disappearing from their home range.