ACTIONLINE:
Perhilitan enforcement division director Salman
Saaban said the department was monitoring nearly all social media accounts that went viral for selling these animals which were on the illegal wildlife trade list.
He said the online traders merely acted as brokers, making it difficult to arrest them without the wildlife in their possession.
He said these traders usually obtained the animals from illegal suppliers and smugglers, adding that selling these animals was also illegal.
Salman said the department was continuously monitoring these illegal suppliers and smugglers through its network of informers and intelligence agents.
He stated that there were legitimate businesses selling wild animals which were registered with the department and had the proper documents.
Salman said various animals sold online needed specific permits to be kept as pets such as the palm civet and dusky leaf monkey under First Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
He urged pet owners who no longer wanted to care for their wild and exotic pets to surrender them to the department for rehabilitation before they were released back into their natural environment.
When asked how many had done so, he responded, “Only a few”.
Salman said the department did conduct random checks on those who had wildlife animals without licences but admitted that it was difficult to do house-to-house check.
He added that they would act when there was a report lodged, such as when people were attacked by the animals.
However, he added that many owners chose not to report to Perhilitan, mainly due to the fact that the pets were bought and kept illegally.
“I would advise people not to take wildlife creatures as pets because they are meant to be in the jungle and not in homes.”
He urged the public to visit http://www.wildlife.gov.my for further information. The website also contains a variety of online services, including information on licence application; complaint submission forms, and permit application details, among others.