Tiger saved from poachers dies of infection

October 26, 2009
Star
By MARTIN CARVALHO

MALACCA: The wounded male tiger that was rescued from a poachers snare in the Royal Belum National Park early this month died in the Malacca Zoo on Tuesday.

National Parks and Wildlife Departments deputy director-general Misleah Mohd Basir said the tiger died of infection and extreme stress after undergoing surgery to amputate its right foreleg.

“We tried our best to save it first by treating the injured foreleg followed by a subsequent amputation but infection had already spread and the tiger had suffered extreme stress,” she said after closing the World Wild Life Week event at the Malacca Zoo yesterday.

The 120kg tiger was rescued from the forest reserve on Oct 4 by Perak wildlife authorities after receiving information that the animal had been ensnared by an illegal trap.

It was given emergency treatment in Perak before being sent to the National Wildlife Rescue Centre at the Malacca Zoo the next day for surgery and follow-up treatment.

Misleah acknowledged the shortage of a veterinarian at the rescue centre but denied that it was a factor in the tiger’s death.

“The tiger was treated by veterinarians from Kuala Lumpur and was monitored by an assistant based at the centre here,” she added.

In 1987, an injured male tiger was rescued from a snare and treated at the centre here. Although it had only three limbs, the tiger, named Harimau Puchong, went on to become the best animal under the zoo’s breeding programme.

Poaching at Belum-Temengor....AGAIN!

August 27, 2009
Groups concerned over poaching at Belum-Temengor forest
Star

PETALING JAYA: Wildlife conservation organisations are concerned over the number of poaching cases at the Belum-Temengor forest in Perak.

Worldwide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF) and Traffic, which monitors the trading of protected species, believe that the porous border between the forest and Thailand is a reason for the activity.

The WWF’s Wildlife Protection Unit head Ahmad Zafir said the area was easily accessible via the 80km long Gerik-Jeli highway that cuts across the area.

There were five cases this year, involving Thai and Cambodian nationals who set traps in the area and smuggle protected animals out of the country, he added.

He said the latest case involved a 55-year-old man from Chiang Rai, Thailand. He was caught with scales of a pangolin and six sacks of agarwood, or gaharu, by Malaysian police two weeks ago.

“Intelligence-led investigations are needed to remove the masterminds and backers behind the scourge,” Traffic’s Chris R. Shepherd said.

WWF CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma said the Government should form a task force, comprising the army, Immigration, Customs and Perak state parks corporation, and the forestry department to stamp out poaching and cross-border encroachment.

Meanwhile, Perhilitan seized a pair of Malayan honey bear limbs during a raid at a business premises in Kemaman early in the month.

Perhilitan legal and enforcement director Saharudin Anan said: “Investigations revealed that the bear was caught at a nearby jungle and its limbs were to be used in the preparation of soup”.

In another operation on Aug 18, Perhilitan raided another business premises in Seri Kembangan and seized six night herons, three painted storks, two lesser thick-billed green pigeons, two pythons and two water monitors.

Armed poachers brutally attack forest officer

April 24, 2009
Star
By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: They normally hunt and kill animals in the wild but this time, a group of poachers brutally attacked a remote Forestry Department camp and left a senior officer seriously injured.

Department director Datuk Sam Mannan said some 20 people armed with machetes, hockey sticks, samurai swords, hunting knives and brass knuckles attacked the camp in the remote Ulu Segama-Malua forest reserve.

He said district forest officer Indra Sunjoto was dragged, slashed, beaten and left unconscious in the 9pm incident on April 2. Indra was badly bruised and sustained a deep gash in the head that required several stitches.

Mannan said police could not be alerted immediately as the wireless phone service in Ulu Segama had broken down.

He said that as an immediate measure, the police had deployed General Operations Force personnel to the forest reserve which was undergoing extensive reforestation work.

Soon after the attack, police in Lahad Datu arrested two men.

Mannan said the Forestry Department had also engaged a security firm with armed personnel to guard the base camp and forest rangers carrying out patrols.

As a long-term measure, the department is applying for a gun licence so that field personnel in critical areas can defend themselves, he said.

Apart from attacking Indra, Mannan said the rampaging poachers also ransacked the staff quarters, carting away food, meat and motorcycles.

The attack may have been triggered by Indra having stopped a poacher earlier that day who managed to escape but left behind fresh deer meat and a motorcycle, he added.

He said the attackers were believed to be a group of men who had been habitually entering the forest reserve to hunt for deer and other protected species including elephants and clouded leopards.

Mannan said prior to the attack there had been skirmishes between the illegal hunters and staff members of Yayasan Sabah, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Forestry Department.

Wildlife officers nab bird poacher

NST Online
2008/05/10

A White-rumped Sharma or Murai Batu which was trapped by a rubber tapper in Grik.
IPOH: Greedy for some extra income, a rubber tapper took to trapping birds belonging to a protected species at a forest in Grik.

The 45-year-old poacher, who went to get more baskets to keep the birds, found himself ambushed and arrested by officers from the Perak Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).

The officers, acting on a tip-off, arrested the suspect when he went a friend's house at Taman Rimba Gamelan in Bercham to get the baskets at 8pm on Thursday, said Perhilitan state director Shabrina Shariff yesterday.

She said they also seized 127 White-rumped Sharma or Murai Batu, which were to be sold to a middleman in Johor Baru for RM15 each. The birds would have fetched a few hundred ringgit in the market, she added

If charged under Section 68 of the Wildlife Act, the man is liable to a maximum fine of RM3,000 or three years' jail or both.

Protected animal parts seized, poacher held

Star Online
Sunday March 30, 2008

KUALA LUMPUR: The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) confiscated body parts of protected animals worth about RM10,000 during a raid on a house in Batu Caves, Selangor, on Friday evening.

The department also arrested a man and seized a homemade firearm, 84 bullets of various calibres and an instrument believe to have been used to lure the animals.

Among the body parts confiscated were that of deer, mouse deer and porcupines. Also taken into custody were three hides, two pairs of horns and some wildlife meat. The parts were said to be for sale.

Perhilitan’s law and enforcement division director Sivanathan Elagupillay told newsmen yesterday that he believed the man, who was in his 50s, had been poaching for quite some time.
The punishment for having the three animals was a nine-year prison term or a fine of RM9,000 or both, upon conviction.

Those with information on crimes related to protected wildlife are urged to call or SMS Perhilitan at 019-356 4194. – Bernama

Poaching In Kiasuland

I would like to share with you our neighbour seriousness on poaching by Sheralyn Tay. Can Bolehland be as tough?

NParks gets tough as poaching is on the rise here
By Sheralyn Tay
USING one bird as bait, Masod bin Mohamed had hoped to lure and catchmore, but the 33-year-old was nabbed in February by the authoritiesinstead. Masod was arrested at the Mayflower Crescent playground by a NationalParks Board (NParks) ranger and, on Sept 11, became the first person hereto be charged and convicted of poaching, in a magistrate's court. He wasslapped with the maximum penalty - a fine of $2,000.

Wildlife experts here say that Masod's case is not an isolated one. Animal activists believe poaching is a problem as wildlife numbers arediminishing.

But the authorities are getting tough.

Since 2000, NParks have issued compound fines to more than 300 people forcapturing fishes and animals in parks and nature reserves. Compound finesare meted on the spot, like parking fines.

In August, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) - for the firsttime - fined a poacher $500 for trapping birds in Changi.

Masod's conviction is a signal that they take a firm stand against against trapping, especially when it is for personal gain, said Ms Sharon Chan, NParks' assistant director of the central nature reserve.

"Much effort has been put into conserving our natural heritage for the public to enjoy and to make Singapore a unique urban city rich in bio-diversity. We have to take a strong stand against poachers who are destroying all these for their own short-term profit."

The AVA only allows the house crow, feral pigeon, purple-backed starling, Philippine glossy starling, common myna and the white-vented myna to be trapped and kept without a licence.

Hot spots for poachers include Pasir Ris Park, Khatib Bongsu and Seletar Airbase, and common targets for poachers are freshwater fish, flying lemurs and water monitor lizards as well as songsbirds, which are either sold or kept as pets.

But small animals are not the only ones being trapped. Last weekend, Mr Ben Lee, founder and head of Nature Trekker, a non-profit organisation, discovered a large boar trap in the foliage on Pulau Ubin.

On Saturday, he found a second trap (picture) large enough to hold 25 men.

"I mistook it for someone's house," he said, adding that in most cases, boars were often caught to be eaten. However, Mr Grant Pereira, head of the Green Volunteers Network, noted that the traps may have been set by farmers to control the large boar population, which wreak havoc on crops. "But it's a slippery slope; once you start trapping, it can … become exploitative," he said.

Poaching, he added, has affected wildlife numbers. In the last 30 years, the numbers of birds and fishes have been diminishing. According a recent study by bird watchers, 44 bird species have become extinct.

"We need more awareness, and more incentive for people to report traps when they see them," Mr Pereira said.

Seen a trap or a poacher? Report it to the NParks Helpline at 1-800-4717300 or the AVA at 6227 0670.