Guest guest Posted October 24, 2002 Report Share Posted October 24, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/10/23/nation/cmleo & sec=nation ________________________ Wednesday, October 23, 2002 Leopard shot in self-defence, says dept By SUSAN TAM PETALING JAYA: Only senior and experienced officers from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) are allowed to carry guns and tranquilliser guns during operations to capture wild animals. Perhilitan public relations officer Ismail Mahmood said these trained officers followed strict guidelines that animals could be shot only as a last resort in life-threatening situations. “Operations are carried out to capture animals alive as we want to protect these endangered species. We do not conduct operations to kill them,” he said when contacted yesterday. He was asked to comment on whether there were strict guidelines for Perhilitan officers when conducting such operations with the use of guns or tranquilliser guns. He was also responding to the incident where a clouded leopard was shot dead last Thursday near Kampung Anak Air in Jolol, Kuala Pilah. Ismail said gun licences were issued to each state department under the director & #8217;s authorisation and the director would only issue a “carry and use” licence to the senior officers involved in capture operations. He said junior officers were not allowed to carry guns or tranquilliser guns, as they were not trained to use such weapons.. When reacting to criticism of the department & #8217;s actions last Thursday, Perhilitan & #8217;s Negri Sembilan director Abdul Razak Majid said his officers had reacted in self-defence when they shot the animal as theleopard had lunged at them. “It was an act of self-defence. When caught in a situation like that, the first reaction of the officer was to protect himself,” he said. He said sometimes it was difficult to assess the situation as the area is heavily wooded with dense undergrowth and officers have to be prepared for different situations. “They will stick to an action plan to catch the animal by setting up baits and traps, but there are times when they are unable to foresee the animal & #8217;s actions, & #8217; & #8217; Abdul Razak said. He added that depending on the complaints received, the officers would decide to carry tranquilliser guns or guns or both weapons during such operations. A post-mortem conducted on Monday by the Malacca Zoo revealed that the leopard had four bullet wounds, including one on its forehead, fired at close range. Vet officer Dr Razeem Mazlan had said that there was no need for the officers to have fired the fatal shot as it was already hit on the hind and front legs and on the stomach. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 29, 2002 Report Share Posted October 29, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/10/23/nation/cmleo & sec=nation ________________________ Wednesday, October 23, 2002 Leopard shot in self-defence, says dept By SUSAN TAM PETALING JAYA: Only senior and experienced officers from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) are allowed to carry guns and tranquilliser guns during operations to capture wild animals. Perhilitan public relations officer Ismail Mahmood said these trained officers followed strict guidelines that animals could be shot only as a last resort in life-threatening situations. “Operations are carried out to capture animals alive as we want to protect these endangered species. We do not conduct operations to kill them,” he said when contacted yesterday. He was asked to comment on whether there were strict guidelines for Perhilitan officers when conducting such operations with the use of guns or tranquilliser guns. He was also responding to the incident where a clouded leopard was shot dead last Thursday near Kampung Anak Air in Jolol, Kuala Pilah. Ismail said gun licences were issued to each state department under the director & #8217;s authorisation and the director would only issue a “carry and use” licence to the senior officers involved in capture operations. He said junior officers were not allowed to carry guns or tranquilliser guns, as they were not trained to use such weapons.. When reacting to criticism of the department & #8217;s actions last Thursday, Perhilitan & #8217;s Negri Sembilan director Abdul Razak Majid said his officers had reacted in self-defence when they shot the animal as theleopard had lunged at them. “It was an act of self-defence. When caught in a situation like that, the first reaction of the officer was to protect himself,” he said. He said sometimes it was difficult to assess the situation as the area is heavily wooded with dense undergrowth and officers have to be prepared for different situations. “They will stick to an action plan to catch the animal by setting up baits and traps, but there are times when they are unable to foresee the animal & #8217;s actions, & #8217; & #8217; Abdul Razak said. He added that depending on the complaints received, the officers would decide to carry tranquilliser guns or guns or both weapons during such operations. A post-mortem conducted on Monday by the Malacca Zoo revealed that the leopard had four bullet wounds, including one on its forehead, fired at close range. Vet officer Dr Razeem Mazlan had said that there was no need for the officers to have fired the fatal shot as it was already hit on the hind and front legs and on the stomach. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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