(MY) 2 articles - wildlife bits and..........

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RM3,000 fine only - New Straits Times

Jonathan Chen

 

GEORGE TOWN - 21 Oct 2005

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A mere RM3,000 fine for illegally keeping 929 exotic monitor lizards.

That is the penalty Ching Boon Keat (picture), 29, had to pay when

judicial commissioner Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah set aside the

six-month jail sentence imposed on him by the magistrate's court on

Feb 14.

 

Zabidin, who heard Ching's appeal in the High Court here today, said

the court felt the jail sentence was " manifestly excessive " .

 

He said Ching was still young and it was his first offence, and

furthermore the court had also taken into consideration that the

monitor lizards seized from Ching were alive and had been placed under

the care of the state Wildlife and National Parks Department.

 

Ching was earlier sentenced to six months' jail and fined RM2,000

after he pleaded guilty to possession of 929 Varanus bengalensis

monitor lizards.

 

He admitted keeping the reptiles at Jalan Gurdwara about 1.05pm on Jan 26.

 

The charge under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 carries a maximum of

two years' jail or fine of up to RM3,000 or both.

 

 

 

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Outlaw wildlife bits in medicine' - New Straits Times

Shamini Darshni

 

PETALING JAYA, - 21 Oct 2005

 

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Lobby groups outraged that a tiger poacher got off with only a RM7,000

fine last week want medicines using body parts of protected wildlife

outlawed.

They are pushing for the authorities to amend the Protection of

Wildlife Act to give enforcement officers the power to seize products

that claim to contain wildlife body parts.

 

The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia and Traffic Southeast Asia are

urging the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) to

introduce this " claims to contain " provision which would prevent the

use of protected wildlife body parts, especially those of tigers, in

medicines.

 

" There is a loophole in the Act which allows the sale of medicines

that contain or claim to contain parts of wildlife, namely tigers, "

said Traffic regional projects co-ordinator Eugene T. Lee.

 

He was also upset with the verdict in the latest case of tiger

poaching, where a 22-year-old man was fined RM7,000, which the

non-governmental organisations decried as too low to deter others from

the highly profitable illegal trading.

 

" This may send a message that there is a relatively low risk involved.

What is RM7,000 to these traders? "

 

In a survey of 100 medicine shops, 65 were found selling at least one

product claimed to contain tiger parts, said Lee.

 

Current legislation only covered recognisable body parts. If the

packaging claimed the medicine contained parts of a tiger, the burden

of proof rested with the authorities, he said.

 

The authorities would have to conduct DNA testing to detect use of

tiger parts in pills. " This is the loophole we are trying to close. "

 

Lee suggested the Act contain wildlife listed under the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (Cites)

of which Malaysia is among the 170 signatories.

 

" We also hope that the amended Act will introduce more stringent

penalties, " he said.

 

WWF Malaysia tiger conservation team leader Brian Lee said the fine

would not be a deterrent to poachers as by-products fetch a high price

on the black market.