Uproar over exotic pets
ANIMAL lovers want stricter action against the illegal online sale of protected animals and exotic wildlife. A quick search on Facebook and Instagram revealed various local accounts selling a variety of wild animals to be adopted as pets, from RM300 to RM4,500 each.
The animals on sale included the goshawk eagle, Asian palm civet, slow loris, marmoset, dusky leaf monkey, peacocks and various birds.
The dusky leaf monkey, in particular, is a favourite among Malaysians due to its attractive orange fur. Owners would spam their timeline with photographs and videos of the animal, all dressed up and feeding on bottled milk.
Netizen Bam Arrogancia said it had become trendy to own a baby monkey just to look cute and cool.
“You may be happy, but not those innocent creatures. They have been
displaced from their natural habitat, away from their family,” she said.
Bam claimed that the dusky leaf monkey would normally live for a few months under the owner’s care due to its complex digestive system.
She said the food and milk formula fed to them were unsuitable, and even harmful to their health.
“When you buy them, you are actually killing them slowly. Please, have some
compassion!” she said.
She claimed that the seller would be lying if he said the monkey was already licensed.
Twitter user @fazreenfazerra expressed her anger by posting a status in capital letters, telling people not to buy the animals.
She added that she had friends who bought them, and all died not long after.
Another user, posting as @cikcuyie, attached photos of a monkey, with one looking weak and ill after vomiting and
excreting green faeces.
“Please stop taking wildlife from their habitat. They’re not meant to be pets,” she said.
Aida Zuleika, on Facebook, shared the original posting by Bam, and shortly summarised it with: “OMG! Please stop this cruelty!”
On Facebook, a single post auctioning three baby Asian leopard cats by an online seller brought in more than 50 comments asking to “PM tepi” (private message with the details) and more than 2,000 views nationwide. Each kitten was sold for RM550 without a licence.
Another seller, promoting a nine-week old white gibbon for RM5,500 gained 29 comments, 25 shares and 16 likes online, within just a week.