Authorities need to explain open sale of protected animals at Miri market — Voon

KUCHING: PKR Women national vice- chief Voon Shiak Ni is alarmed by news report about protected wild animals being sold at the weekend market in Miri Centre Point.

“The picture of two baby monkeys inside a cage, featured on the front page of The Borneo Post today (yesterday) alarmed me this morning, creating worrying concerns about the fate of these protected species. Among other protected wildlife species sold at the market, as photographed by concerned Mirians, were civet cats that had been barbequed, an anteater that had been chopped up and also river tortoises,” she said in a press statement yesterday.

Noting that it is illegal to sell or consume protected wild animals, Voon queried the authorities.

“Based on the verification obtained from the ground, such illegal trade has been going on all this while. Where has the enforcement from Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) been? They need to make a clarification on this matter.”

According to Voon, it is a public knowledge that the protection of wildlife is provided under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, stating that any person who hunts, kills, captures, sells, offers for sale or claims to be offering for sale, imports and exports, or is in possession of any totally protected animal (and protected animal) or any recognisable part or derivative or any nest thereof, shall be guilty of an offence under the Ordinance .

“The penalty for selling baby monkeys can be a two-year jail and a fine of RM25,000.”

Thus, Voon called upon the authorities to clarify on such inaction against the illegal act of selling these protected wild animals in broad daylight, and also to act against all future selling and trading of these animals at the markets.