WWF-Malaysia: Set up bureau to tackle wildlife crimes

KOTA KINABALU: WWF-Malaysia is calling for the setting up of a wildlife crime bureau to tackle the rise in wildlife crimes in the state.

Its conservation director Dr Henry Chan said the move was crucial to confront organised wildlife crimes in a systematic and consistent manner, with a long-term mechanism and dedicated resources.

Chan added that the wildlife crime bureau should be parked under the jurisdiction of the Royal Malaysian Police, to allow for streamlining of information, effective data collection and crime analysis, adequate training on intelligence sharing as well as support for wildlife officers in states across Malaysia.

“We are now playing a cat-and-mouse game where the perpetrators of heinous crimes against wildlife are constantly able to escape the long arm of the law.

“If we do not resolve to get better at this game, we stand to lose our prized wildlife,” he said in a statement.

Chan was responding to the recent brutal killing of a male Borneo pygmy elephant in Tawau on Sept 23.Six people have since been arrested to facilitate investigations.

He added that numerous incidences of wildlife crimes in Sabah had gone unresolved over the years, heavily impacting the survival of many of Sabah’s unique wildlife species.

The complexities surrounding wildlife crime stem from its largely borderless nature, he said.

“Wildlife hunted on our land can make their way across the border and be sold overseas, making them extremely difficult to track,” he said.

“As organised wildlife crimes evolve, we too must evolve in order to effectively tackle it.”

Source: NST