Wildlife dept confiscates over 20 species from zoo

KUDAT: The confiscation of the animals kept illegally at the Victory Mini Zoo ended yesterday.

Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) veterinarian, Dr Rosa Sipangkui when contacted by the Borneo Post at about 6.30pm indicated that they have just finished the operation and that they were on their way back to the Lokkawi Wildlife Park with the rescued animals.

She added that all the animals were in good condition.

SWD began the operation on Nov 11 alongside the Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) to rescue two highly endangered and fully protected marine turtles from the mini located at Kampung Parapat, about 40 kilometers from Kudat.

The juvenile turtles comprised of a green turtle and a hawksbill. Both species of turtles were under the totally protected species within the Sabah Wildlife Enactment and those found guilty risk being fined RM50,000 or jailed for five years or both.

Other animals confiscated at the mini zoo were the Bornean Gibbon, Slow Loris, Bearcat, Straw-Headed Bulbul, Long-Tailed Parakeet, Pig-tailed macaque, Hill Myna, Chinese Pheasant, Reticulated python, Box tortoise, red slider, lesser fish eagle, Brahminy kite, changeable hawk eagle, leopard cat, metallic zebra dove, rhinocerous hornbills, long tailed porcupine, estuarine crocodile, bearded pig and several others.