Man arrested for trying to sell pangolin via WhatsApp
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) arrested a local man who tried to sell a live pangolin through a WhatsApp chat group.
The 20-year-old man was arrested near a petrol station in Kota Belud town following a tip-off from the public on Jan 3 at about 11am.
A team of four members from the department was dispatched to track down and inspect the grey Proton Persona car driven, the SWD statement said.
It said a live pangolin was found in the boot of the car during an inspection and that following the find, the accused was arrested.
The SWD team also seized the pangolin and the car.
The pangolin is one of the animals listed under the Fully Protected Animal in the first part of the first schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Possession of any animal under this schedule without a valid permit from the department is an offence under Section 41(1) and punishable under Section 41(4)(a) of the same enactment with a fine of not less than RM50,000 but not more than RM250,000 and imprisonment of not less than one year but not exceeding five years.
SWD director Augustine Tuuga commended the public for their help which led to the arrest of the local man, who is also a coconut seller at the local tamu.
He warned that SWD constantly scours the Internet and social media for perpetrators in wildlife crimes in Sabah, which includes the selling and offering of protected wildlife.
He added that SWD would do its best despite its limited capacity.