on turtles and wildlife poaching-Malaysia

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Turtles may have been trapped in nets - New Straits Times

KUANTAN, April 21:

 

Several dead turtles that washed up on Pantai Sepat over the past fortnight

are believed to have been fatally entangled in fishing nets.

 

A Fisheries Department spokesman here said turtles tend to get trapped and

die in the struggle to free themselves from these nets.

 

" This is based on our past experiences of turtles dying in deep sea, " he

said when asked about the turtle carcass which was washed up on the shores

of Pantai Sepat last week.

 

A beachcomber said he had found six turtle carcasses over the past two

weeks.

 

The Fisheries spokesman said scientists from the department's headquarters

in Kuala Lumpur would arrive here in the next few days to investigate the

deaths.

 

He said the state director, Mohamad Mat Saman, who was attending a course,

would return next week to speak about the case.

 

The Cherating Turtle Sanctuary is also investigating the turtle deaths.

 

 

 

New Straits Times

 

Poachers kill tigers, rhino

Chuah Bee Kim

 

JOHOR BARU, April 21:

 

Four tigers, a baby elephant and a rhinoceros caught in snares laid by

poachers were killed for their meat and organs in the Endau-Rompin National

Park in Johor recently.

 

Orang Asli villagers alerted park rangers of the killings after finding

trails of animal blood in the forest late last month. Several nylon and wire

snares used to trap the animals were also found. However, there was no trace

of the carcasses. The poachers, believed to be from Thailand, had entered

the protected forest reserve from Pahang. Johor National Park Corporation

director Mohamed Basir Mohamed Sali said the animals were shot by the

poachers after they were found trapped in the snares.

 

He added that based on information obtained from the Orang Asli and the

blood stains found, the poachers had killed four tigers, a baby elephant and

a rhinoceros.

 

He said no fewer than 100 snares were believed to have been set up around

the fringes of the park.

 

" According to our informants, the poachers had set up camp in the park for

over a month. They were primarily after tigers, although the baby elephant

and rhino also became victims after they got caught in the snares, " he said.

 

Basir said the four Malayan tigers, also known as the Panthera tigris

corbetti, weighed between 60kg and 70kg, which meant they were relatively

young. A fullgrown tiger weighs about 150kg.

 

He also said based on the blood trail found by the Orang Asli, one tiger

might have escaped after getting caught in the snares, and was probably

maimed now.

 

" It could turn to humans for food as it might be too wounded to hunt on its

own. This is worrying, " he added.

 

Basir said the poachers were believed to be working for syndicates engaged

in the illicit trade of wild animals for meat and organs.

 

" The trade is very lucrative as a tiger tooth can fetch between RM1,000 and

RM2,000, a paw RM800 to RM1,000, pelt and head RM80,000, bones RM15,000 and

meat RM150 per kilogramme, " he said.

 

According to some sources, tiger meat is reportedly served by appointment

only at three restaurants in Kahang, Johor.

 

" With fewer than 30 tigers remaining in the wild in Johor, the poachers, if

left unchecked, could wipe out our entire tiger population, " he said.

 

Basir said the Johor Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department

(Perhilitan), had sent a team to track down the poachers but they had

already escaped with the carcasses.

 

He explained that combing the park, which sprawls 490 square kilometres, was

no easy task for the enforcement unit.

 

The department's deputy director, Ismail Mamat, said steps had been taken to

beef up enforcement. " We may have to enlist army personnel to help, now that

we know the poachers are foreigners, " Ismail said.

 

He said that Malayan tigers were protected under the Wildlife Protection Act

1972.

 

Section 64 (a) of the Act prohibits the shooting, killing, and possession of

the animal or its body parts. The penalty is a maximum RM15,000 fine or five

years' jail or both.

 

Under the Act, even the possession of any body part of protected wild

animals is an offence. Under Section 64 of the Act, the penalty is a maximum

fine of RM5,000 or a jail term.

 

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