Singaporean man jailed and fined for trying to smuggle 11 wild birds into Malaysia
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The birds were found in the multi-purpose vehicle driven by the man, who had no valid documents for them.
PHOTO: JABATAN PERHILITAN SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA/FACEBOOK
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A 47-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to seven days’ jail and fined RM80,000 (S$23,200) by the Malaysian authorities earlier in June for attempting to smuggle 11 wild birds, including macaws, into the country.
On May 31, the man drove a multi-purpose vehicle into Johor Bahru via the Causeway, where he was stopped, according to the Malay Mail.
The Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department, or Perhilitan, received information about the case at around 7.30pm that day.
Perhilitan director Aminuddin Jamin said on Wednesday that checks of the vehicle found a total of 11 wild birds, including three blue and golden macaws, a yellow-headed amazon and three red macaws.
Perhilitan officers also found 10 wooden boxes, cages for birds, mobile phones and bird perches when they inspected the man’s vehicle.
The man, who has not been identified, had no valid documents for the birds.
He was detained by the police after Perhilitan filed a report against him.
The 11 birds were confiscated and the vehicle was seized, Mr Aminuddin said.
On June 7, the man was charged in Johor’s Sessions Court under Sections 60 and 68 of Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Act for hunting or keeping protected wildlife, and pleaded guilty.
Mr Aminuddin said Johor’s wildlife department is committed to conserving Malaysia’s biodiversity and eradicating wildlife crime.
Over the past few years, Malaysia has become a popular destination and transit country for the illegal wildlife trade, especially for wild birds, according to the Malay Mail. Other countries in the region that have emerged as smuggling hubs include the Philippines and Vietnam, the department added.
In Malaysia, protected wildlife species are commonly seized at the international airports in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, and at both land border crossings in Johor.
Law enforcers have stepped up inspection, leading to the confiscation of a number of animals, the Malay Mail said, without providing figures.
In Malaysia, hunting or keeping protected wildlife is an offence under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
Under Section 60 of the Act, those found to have committed the offence of keeping or owning wildlife without a licence can be fined a maximum of RM50,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Those who are caught hunting protected wildlife without a special permit can be charged under Section 68 of the Act. If convicted, they can be given a fine not exceeding RM100,000, a jail term of not more than three years, or both.
