Article: Duo nabbed for poaching

Friday May 15, 2009

By R.S.N. MURALI

KUALA TERENGGANU: Two boat operators who were supposed to brief tourists on the importance of protecting endangered animals in Tembat Forest Reserve turned out to be poachers themselves.

The duo, aged 44 and 52, are familiar with the forest reserve, which is part of the National Park that fringes Kenyir Lake in Hulu Terengganu, about 97km from here.

Exotic meat: Rozidan (left) showing some of the items seized from the two boat operators in Kuala Terengganu yesterday.

Enforcement officers from the state Wildlife and National Park Department were jolted when they discovered that the culprits they had been looking for, after a week of surveillance, turned out to be the boat operators from Kenyir Lake.

Department director Rozidan Md Yasin said the enforcement officers, based on a tip-off, had been trailing the duo for seven days before they found an assortment of deer meat, animal trophy heads and antlers in their possession.

Other items included meat of the endangered Lesser Malayan Mouse-Deer (Tragulus javanicus) and the Larger Malay Mouse-Deer (Tragulus napu).

Rozidan said officers seized the items from three premises owned by the boat operators in Hulu Tereng­ganu.

He said the two were supposed to create awareness on protecting endangered species found in the area, which has also been gazetted an elephant sanctuary.

“They are involved in the local tourism industry. They should know that having protected species is against the law. Furthermore, any form of hunting is prohibited there,” Rozidan said.

Rozidan said the men could face charges under Section 68 of the Wildlife Protection Act for possession of protected species.

Asked why they were not charged for poaching, he said they were not caught in the act.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Nation 15 May 2009