Bid to smuggle endangered birds foiled

ALOR GAJAH: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) thwarted an attempt to smuggle about 300 endangered birds into Indonesia at 4.97 nautical miles off Tanjung Gabang, Selangor, on Tuesday.

Malacca/Negri Sembilan MMEA director Maritime Captain Amran Daud attributed the success to information received from the public on the smuggling of endangered birds through the Straits of Malacca.

Following investigations, he said, a MMEA vessel on patrol in the area spotted a boat heading out of a neighbouring country’s territorial waters.

“Upon realising the presence of the MMEA personnel, the boat skipper and three crew, all Indonesians, threw the bird cages into the sea.”

Amran said the MMEA personnel were able to retrieve only 279 birds.

As for the Indonesian skipper and his crew, aged between 38 and 55, he said, they were detained after failing to produce valid personal documents.

Amran said the birds were believed to have been smuggled from Vietnam by land into Thailand and Malaysia.

The birds are of endangered species and protected under the World Wildlife Foundation and one of them is “burung Branjangan” or the Horsfield Bush Lark, he said.

He said the case had been handed over to the National Parks and Wildlife Department for further action. – Bernama