KOTA KINABALU: Illegal wildlife traders in Sabah are turning into social media to sell and buy protected animals.
Among the protected species found to have been offered were Clouded Leopard, Slow Loris, pangolins, exotic birds, and reptiles.
Sabah Wildlife Department had recorded at least one case in which a local man, who owned a Facebook group account dealing with selling and buying wildlife, was arrested last month.
The man was charged on July 30 in Session Court here, for the offence of possessing a Clouded Leopard – a protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Its director William Baya said the department was now aggressively monitoring social media for such illegal activity.
“We have also received information that people are using Instagram to sell protected animals.
“We had made several arrests on illegal wildlife traders but today, they are getting more advance by using social media,” he told reporters.
In general, William stressed the department had recorded 23 illegal wildlife trade cases, involving close to 35 people, in the past seven months.