KUALA TERENGGANU: Illegal wildlife traders have been found using courier services to send their consignments to buyers, even though this may result in the animals dying during shipment.
State Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Mohd Hasdi Husin told the New Straits Times that it had found foxes, silvered leaf monkeys (lutong), slow lorises and exotic birds being sent to buyers via courier services.
He said where foxes and monkeys were concerned, only the young were traded as they were smaller, “more adorable”, easier to care for and, thus, more sought after.
Last year, the department uncovered at least 10 cases of wildlife sent via courier services, but it believes these are just the tip of the iceberg as many transactions go unnoticed.
“Traders make use of courier services as it only takes a day to deliver them to their consignees. Usually, ‘Handle with Care’ stickers are put on the consignment boxes.
“I am worried for the safety of the animals as they might die of suffocation inside the boxes, even though the senders poke holes in the boxes for air.
“What is more surprising is that the traders are not just locals. Even foreign workers have joined the business. I don’t know where they get the animals from,” said Hasdi.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, those found possessing or trading in protected wildlife illegally could be fined up to RM50,000 or jailed for not more than two years, or both, upon conviction.
Checks have revealed that it was safer to send wildlife in courier boxes at night as the dark environment exerted less stress on the animals.
A trader, who declined to be named, said holes were poked into the four sides of each box for ventilation. No water is placed inside, just a little food.
“After all, it takes only a night to deliver the consignments,” he said.
Hasdi said the spike in the number of cases was prompted by the increasing use of social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, to market wildlife.
He said other wildlife marketed through social media included pythons, exotic reptiles, such as geckos and lizards, and exotic birds, such as parrots.
“In most cases, the traders of the protected species are just making a side income. There were cases where the sellers were just trying to dispose of the animals, which were given to them as gifts,” he added.
When contacted, a state Poslaju spokesman said it was difficult to know the exact nature of the consignments as senders would falsify the specifications of the items on the transaction slips.
He said in the event Poslaju found animals inside the courier boxes, the senders would be summoned to take back their parcels.
“Poslaju does not accept animals as consignments,” he said.
It was learnt that most of the senders of these animals would list the items as clothes, spare parts and supplements, among others.