Engineer claims trial to illegally keeping protected wildlife

KAJANG: An engineer was charged in the Sessions Court here yesterday with nine charges of keeping various species of wildlife without a permit.

Mohd Taha Abd Wahab, 50, claimed trial to all the charges read out to him before judge Noridah Adam.

On the first and second charges, he allegedly kept a female Malayan tiger and a leopard cat at his house at No 7, Lot 1433, Batu 13 3/4 Jalan Sekolah, Kampung Gahal Jaya, Hulu Langat here at 12.30pm on Oct 19.

On the third to ninth charges, he allegedly kept a brahminy kite prey bird, a mountain hawk eagle, two white crowned shama birds, a Schneider's Dwarf Caiman crocodile, a mousedeer, a hill myna bird and a white rumped shama bird at the same place and time.

The animals and birds are protected under the First Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).

On the first charge under Section 70(2) of the Act, he faces a maximum fine of RM500,000 and jail of five years, if convicted.

On the second charge under Section 70(1) of the Act, he faces a maximum fine of RM300,000 or 10 years in jail or both, if convicted.

On four other charges under Section 60(1)(a) of the Act, he faces a maximum RM50,000 fine or two years in jail or both, if convicted.

On three other charges under Section 68(1)(a) of the Act, he faces a maximum fine of RM100,000 or three years in jail, or both, on conviction.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Munirah Zainol Abidin from the Peninsular Malaysia Wildlife and National Parks Department, objected to bail saying that the offences were not bailable besides the fact that the wildlife concerned were endangered species.