KUALA LUMPUR: A local recording artiste was arrested on Friday after a video clip of a Sun bear cub attempting to escape her condominium unit went viral on social media.
The 27-year-old singer was arrested by officers from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) during a raid on her home in Desa Pandan here, at 8pm last night.
The officers were acting on a tip-off by members of the public.
“The suspect was unable to produce any documentation to prove she has a right to hold the Sun bear cub captive.
“She was detained to assist in our investigation of the case,” Perhilitan director Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim told Bernama on Friday.
He said that the singer is being investigated for possession of a protected wild animal, without permission from Perhilitan, under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Act 716).
The probe began after several videos emerged on social media showing the Sun bear cub growling while attempting to escape through a window of an upper-level condominium unit.
The Sun bear, the world’s smallest bear species, is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.