Malaysia foils high-seas smuggling bid

A pair of young orangutans, baby crocodiles and rare birds were among over 400 animals rescued from a boat off Malaysia as they were being smuggled from neighboring Indonesia, officials said Monday.

Three suspected Indonesian traffickers were arrested after customs officials thwarted the bid to transport the animals to Thailand in an operation off the Malaysian island Langkawi.

The unusual cargo included two “frightened-looking” orangutans and dozens of baby saltwater crocodiles, Malaysian wildlife official Mohamad Zaki Rahim said.

There were also about 350 sugar gliders – a type of small marsupial – cockatoos, parrots and parakeets found in boxes on board, he said, adding the smugglers intended to sell all the animals as pets.

The smugglers were seeking to transport the animals under cover of darkness in a cargo vessel from the vast, jungle-clad Indonesian island of Sumatra, through the Malacca Strait to Thailand, customs chief T Subromaniam said. But Malaysian customs officers received information about the boat and intercepted it, he said.

The arrested Indonesians, who were on the vessel when it was stopped, are expected to be charged in court for breaking wildlife laws and could face up to 10 years in jail, Mohamad Zaki said.

Elizabeth John, spokesperson for wildlife trade watchdog Traffic, said that the number and variety of animals seized showed “how tremendous the pressure is on wildlife due to demand for pets.”

The Malaysian authorities regularly thwart smuggling attempts, but finding 400 animals at the same time is unusual.