The facts in the widely acclaimed non-fiction book on wildlife smuggling, which had been dismissed by the National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) in late September as a "work of fiction," should nonetheless be investigated, said Azrina Abdullah, Southeast Asia regional director for wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.
The Lizard King — The True Crimes and Passions of the World's Greatest Reptile Smugglers by Bryan Christy, which was published in August after four-and-a-half years of research, has been picked this month as an "Editor’s Choice" by the US conservation magazine Audobon, and given the thumbs-up by the New York Times and National Geographic.
"This book gives an account of the underworld of the illegal wildlife trade, involving a Malaysian, Anson Wong who was actually convicted and jailed in the US for illegal smuggling of endangered wildlife — and it sheds some light and puts faces to what is a complex problem," she added.
The book relates how enforcement officers, who are the underdogs, had pursued the book's main character regardless of obstacles such as inadequate budgets, lack of political will, weak laws, and such.
The Customs Department, in response to an article in the New Sunday Times had said it would investigate the incident implicating one of its officers.
Its public relations unit head, Hamzah Ahamad, had assured that if at all it was true, it was an isolated case.
The Wildlife Department however, in a faxed reply, had said it did not confer any immunity or special treatment to anyone in the wildlife trade and questioned the author's motives. "Where the Wildlife and National Parks Department is concerned, this book is simply fiction," said Hamzah.
This article was taken from :The malay mail: News 10 november 2008
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