Guest guest Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 ***************************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/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/1/28/features/hrpet & sec=fea\ tures ________________________ Tuesday, January 28, 2003 Exotic and endangered By HILARY CHIEW CHARLIE the tiger made headlines once again when it was released into a jungle in Sik, more than 100km from Sungai Petani in Kedah. Businessman Zaitun Arshad had been keeping the tiger in his house in Bukit Selambau near Sungai Petani but his unusual pet soon caught the public eye and caused a stir in the neighbourhood. Zaitun claimed that he had caught the 18-month-old tiger in a trap in southern Thailand a few weeks ago, brought the tiger home with him, and grew fond of it. Sentiments aside, Zaitun & #8217;s actions had violated numerous laws. He had kept the wild cat without a licence from the Wildlife and National Parks Department (or Perhilitan). It is an offence under Section 64A of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to rear, hunt or kill tigers. Zaitun had also breached the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in which a special permit is required to move the tiger & #8211; which is listed under Appendix I & #8211; from one country to another. (Species listed under Appendix I are not allowed to be traded as the animals are categorised as critically endangered.) Just last year, a contractor had kept two tigers until they had outgrown their enclosure in a residential unit in Petaling Jaya and had to be returned to their original owner who runs a mini zoo in Johor. While a tiger may not be everyone & #8217;s idea of a pet, these two episodes do reflect a growing trend towards keeping exotic & #8211; and sometimes endangered & #8211; species. Pet ownership in the country has evolved over time from rearing ornamental tropical fish, dogs and cats, to having exotic species such as cockatoos, lizards (including iguanas and chameleons), freshwater turtles, snakes and even tiny sea horses. Pet shops and aquariums across the country enjoy brisk business as exotic species are being sold by the thousands on a daily basis. Random market surveys by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network, show that most pet shops carry some protected species and a myriad of unprotected ones. Occasionally, one may even come across a totally protected species which is not allowed to be traded because it is being threatened with extinction. TRAFFIC has been actively monitoring wildlife trade in South-East Asia since 1990. ”Traders are often aware of the status of the animals and many unscrupulous ones have no qualms about using the endangered species tag as a sales pitch to entice buyers,” says TRAFFIC officer Chris Shepherd. “In one pet shop in the Klang Valley, the trader who is well-informed of the ban on the Indian star tortoise, blatantly displays the reptile in his shop. He even advises expatriate clients on how to keep the tortoise alive while smuggling it out in their hand luggages.” In 2001, the Indian Government revoked its export quota for the star tortoise which is listed under Appendix II of Cites, when a flourishing illegal trade raised concerns of unsustainable exploitation of the wild population. Under Appendix II, controlled trade is allowed, but with a permit. Selangor and Federal Territory Pets, Aquarium Fish and Bird Traders Association vice-president Phoon Chee Neo concurs with Shepherd that a significant number of pet shops in the country rely on illegally sourced species. However, he was quick to point out that none of the 60 members of the association have dealings with wildlife smugglers, adding that there are a few hundred pet traders in the Klang Valley alone. “Our members are strongly advised to follow proper procedures in importing protected species and acquire permits for protected local species. Whenever a species is banned from being traded, members are informed and discouraged from accepting offers from unreliable sources,” says Phoon. <b>Enforcement challenge</b> Perhilitan, the government agency tasked with managing the country & #8217;s wildlife, has a licensing system in place under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to regulate the import, export and trade in local wild species. However, enforcement of the laws is a different matter altogether. With a mere allocation of RM80,000 last year, there seems to be little emphasis on enforcement. The department monitors listed species through the registration of traders who dabble with protected species. These traders are given a reference number, and they are required to inform pet buyers to obtain an annual licence from the department. “We are aware that violations of the law exist,” says Perhilitan & #8217;s recently-appointed enforcement director Misliah Mohamad Basir. “We & #8217;ve confiscated animals when the owners could not produce the trader & #8217;s reference number to verify the origin of their pets. Local species are released into the forests, but foreign species are a problem, especially when the country of origin is reluctant to take back the animals. We either send them to the zoos or terminate them if they are diseased.” In 2001 alone, 3,550 offences were recorded under the Wildlife Protection Act. A total of RM2.7mil was collected from various enforcement activities, including RM2.5mil from the issuance of 43,100 licences and the sale of confiscated animals. As a party to Cites, Malaysia is obliged to assist member countries in regulating trade in flora and fauna by ensuring that imports of Cites-species are accompanied by valid export permits from the exporting country. However, documentation fraud is commonplace in the wildlife trade. The problem is compounded by difficulties in species identification. “Smugglers take advantage of this enforcement weakness by disguising protected species as unprotected animals, or under-declare the actual number of species in airway bills and import permits,” says Shepherd. He adds that TRAFFIC has thus far conducted a training workshop for Sabah wildlife officers to enhance their species identification skills. Misliah advocates close cooperation between the relevant agencies, conservation organisations and the public. “We welcome any organisation that can help us in capacity-building. Our officers need to be alerted to the latest tactics of the smugglers. The public can be our eyes and ears, and feed us with information on errant pet traders,” urges Misliah. <b>Problematic haul</b> The problem of inadequate shelters and trained staff to handle confiscated animals becomes overwhelming when seizures turn up in huge numbers. The anti-smuggling unit of the Customs Department seized 990 lizards, 30 snakes, 1,000 spiders, 100 centipedes, 200 scorpions and 20 puppies at the Malaysian-Thai border last November. The illegal consignment was meant to be re-exported. The Customs Department sold the haul on compassionate grounds as it did not have the means to care for the contraband. The irony of it is that the “goods” might end up in the hands of the smuggling syndicate which could pose as buyers. Smuggled animals also raised concerns of disease transmission. The Small Animal Practitioners Association of Malaysia warned that rabies, which is endemic in Thailand, could spread from animals to humans. The Veterinary Services Department claimed that it was unaware of the confiscation and the subsequent sale of the puppies without health certificates. Its head of import and export quarantine unit Dr N. Krishnan was puzzled as to why the department was not informed of the seizure. “The moment they refer the matter to us, we would recommend that animals without the proper health documents be returned to the country of origin or be destroyed immediately if they are found to be diseased,” said Dr Krishnan. The lack of coordination between the relevant agencies highlights the need to harmonise efforts to bust smuggling syndicates which are using the country as a smuggling route. ”What we get at the borders are just the tip of the iceberg,” says Misliah. “Such hauls were usually accidental as the anti-smuggling unit was looking for other contraband.” Misliah adds that an integrated management programme is being planned with other departments. <b>Biodiversity threat</b> The fact that wildlife which forms an integral part of the ecosystem can be bought off the shelves calls for urgent measures to check smuggling activities which are posing a threat to the biological diversity of the earth. The roaring pet trade had caused the extinction of popular songbird species like the straw-headed bulbul in parts of Indonesia and Thailand, says Shepherd, adding that wildlife dealers are now turning to Malaysia for their main supply. If the bird volume handled by Phoon is any indication, Shepherd & #8217;s concern could be very real. In his 30 years in the business Phoon claimed that he had traded close to one million species; a single delivery could number up to several thousand birds. “Songbirds are sourced from as far as South America, Africa, India, Pakistan, Vietnam and Indonesia. Indian sub-continent species are popular with Malaysian songbird hobbyists,” says Phoon. “Apart from the straw-headed bulbul which is a Cites II species, hundreds of species of songbirds are not protected and do not receive the attention they should get,” says Shepherd. <b>Cruel enterprise</b> Many animals do not survive the long journey and the stress of being yanked from their natural habitats. Due to the illegal nature of the trade, the animals are often squeezed into containers to evade detection. Many die during the transportation process. The mortality rate could be as high as 50%, according to Shepherd. In July 2000, 22 Cites Appendix II birds, including mountain hawk eagles, Brahminy kites, Malay Fish Owls and an Indian black eagle were found in the two suitcases of an English smuggler at Heathrow Airport in London. The birds had been stuffed into tubes with their feet bound with electrical tape. Six died during the flight from Bangkok while others were found in sickly conditions. The man was later sentenced to six and a half years in jail. “Wildlife criminals should be treated like any other criminal,” says Shepherd. “A fine of a few thousand ringgit fine will not serve as a deterrent.” Current penalties are obviously not severe enough to deter unscrupulous traders and smugglers. In Hong Kong, fines for animal trafficking could be as hefty as HK$1mil (RM487,000). Presently, depending on the species traded, the fines range from RM6,000 to RM10,000 , while jail terms are from five to 10 years. It is learnt that the proposed amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 would include a maximum jail term of 12 years and a more than 100% increase in fines. Stiffer penalties are needed if we are to be effective in curbing a burgeoning international wildlife trade that uses Malaysia as one of its main transit points. <b>Related Stories:</b> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2003/1/28/features/28rarpe\ t & sec=features " >No regard for rare pets</a> <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. 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