Tiger parts, birds seized

Tiger parts, birds seized

2009/06/11

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Wildlife and National Parks seized 10 white-rumped shama (murai hutan) birds and the bones, nails and teeth of a tiger in two separate incidents. The 84 tiger parts weighing 3kg were worth RM3,000 while the birds were worth RM100,000. The tiger was 2 years old.

Department law and enforcement division director Saharudin Anan said three men, aged between 37 and 50, were detained.

The first seizure of the tiger parts was made at the East-West Highway in Jeli. Two men aged 40 and 50 were detained.

After several weeks of surveillance, five members of the Wildlife Crime Unit and four policemen stopped a car driven by one of the men.

The enforcement officers found the tiger parts in a plastic bag under the front passenger seat of the car.

Saharudin said the parts were to be smuggled into Thailand. The tiger had been dead for at least five months.

The men, from Kelantan, had been smuggling wildlife for the past three years.

Saharudin said the men were remanded to facilitate investigation.

The second seizure was made at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang, where an Indonesian man attempted to smuggle murai hutan into his country.

LCCT auxiliary policemen arrested the 37-year-old after a scan showed the 10 birds in a big box.

Saharudin said each bird was placed in a PVC pipe and hidden in the box.

He said each bird could cost up to RM10,000.

The Indonesian was believed to have smuggled other birds previously.

He said the man used Indonesia as a transit point to smuggle the birds to other countries, such as the United States, Canada and Hong Kong.

The three men will be charged in court.

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