Wildlife cargo passes through KLIA regularly, claims group

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Wildlife cargo passes through KLIA regularly, claims group

 

01/27/2003

The New Straits Times

Main/Lifestyle; 2*

08

(Copyright 2003)

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sun. - Wildlife cargo, often including endangered

species, passes through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport

regularly, with shipments coming in mainly from Indonesia.

 

Traffic Southeast Asia, a network that monitors wildlife trade,

said KLIA was being used as a transit point before the animals were

moved to other countries, including China.

Traffic SEA programme officer Chris R. Shepherd said not all

shipments carry endangered wildlife but airport officials were

sometimes unable to identify protected species from unprotected

ones.

 

He told the New Straits Times that the animals were normally

packed alive in boxes or crates, but slip through Customs because of

the false declarations on the shipping documents.

 

Turtles, both endangered and unprotected, made up the largest

bulk of shipments that passed through KLIA.

 

" Turtles are the most common type of cargo, although the amount

being shipped now is less than before. I attribute that to a decline

in Indonesia's turtle population, " he said.

 

Turtle shipments from Indonesia to both Malaysia and Singapore

used to average about 25 tonnes a week in 1999 and 2000. The airport

began operations in June 1998.

 

" Now our sources in Indonesia say the shipments aren't as large

as before, " Shepherd said.

 

Other wildlife that transit in Malaysia are birds, snakes and

Arowana fish. Indonesia again, is the main source of this cargo,

although not all species brought here are endangered.

 

Besides airplanes, wildlife cargo is also moved using trucks and

boats.

 

Shepherd also commended the Wildlife and National Parks

Department and Customs Department for its hard work in stemming the

illegal wildlife trade in Malaysia.

 

He was asked about Perhilitan's seizure of RM200,000 worth of

tiger skeletons and pelts, and elephant tusks, in raids in Johor

Baru and at KLIA. Perhilitan announced the seizure to the Press

yesterday.

 

" Traffic SEA supports the department's proposal that the

Government increase the penalties for killing totally protected

animals, " Shepherd said.

 

 

 

Folder Name: Asia Conservation Tiger

Relevance Score on Scale of 100: 84

 

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