snakes - Malaysia

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From the New Straits Times EDITORIAL: Saving their skins

 

May 23

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FOR the 238 reticulated pythons that were rescued from wildlife smugglers

and given sanctuary in the Malacca Zoo, their relief from danger will be

short-lived. They will now be auctioned to licensed traders.

 

Their skins will be made into shoes or belts, and their meat will end up in

pots and eaten for its medicinal value — just as the poachers had originally

intended.

 

In fact, their commercial fate was sealed once the trappers took them out of

the wilds of Rompin. The only difference now is that they will be sold

legally rather than illegally.

 

Pythons are only given limited protection by the law since they are

classified as " protected " rather than " endangered " species. This is why they

are allowed to be caught and sold provided official permits are obtained. If

they had been born, say, as pangolins, they would have been entitled to the

full legal protection given to animals facing the threat of extinction.

 

No legal trade would have been allowed and they would have been returned to

the wild or sent to an animal sanctuary. As it is, the official position is

that permitting a controlled trade in pythons will not threaten the survival

of the species because there are enough pythons in the country.

 

Such a view, of course, is guaranteed to send animal lovers hissing mad

because they are against the killing of animals for any purpose.

Nevertheless, while the animal rights lobby in the West might have had some

success in their anti-fur message, exotic animal skins seem to have escaped

the stigma. It’s probably no skin off the noses of most Malaysians if the

pythons end up as handbags or jackets.

 

What probably should get under the skin of Malaysians concerned with the

conservation of biodiversity is the fact that for every python traded

legally, a great many more are sold illegally.

 

While there seems no imminent danger of the pythons disappearing, there is

always a risk that the illegal trade could reach unsustainable levels. If

the situation is left unchecked, there is always a possibility that pythons

could one day be on the brink of disappearing.

 

Moreover, the arrest of the poachers is further evidence of the

pervasiveness of the illegal wildlife trade. Indeed, it is a moot point

whether making it to the endangered list would have given the pythons better

protection because it is difficult to prevent people from going into the

jungle and taking out what they want and selling it.

 

The Wildlife Department is trying to do its best but its resources are

overstretched. While better enforcement will help in combating animal

smuggling, as long as there are people who are willing to buy, it will be a

losing battle. There seems therefore a need for a greater focus on

addressing the demand for wildlife products for culinary, dietary, medicinal

and sartorial purposes.

 

Even the pythons may stand a chance of being left undisturbed in the jungle

if people lose their taste for products from endangered animals.

 

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