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The Star 2 Sep 19; MIRI: Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has lodged a police report against a group of fortune tellers from China who abused protected wildlife in their so-called "fortune-telling" business in Miri. SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said his enforcement unit had also rescued two protected parrots being abused by these foreign traders. "SFC officers raided the exhibition and rescued the two birds. "We also lodged a police report against these so-called fortune tellers. "They were using protected parrots as a business gimmick and we are investigating where they sourced the wildlife," he said in a press statement Monday (Sept 2). Zolkipli said the SFC enforcement team raided the exhibition at the Miri Bintang Megamall after receiving complaints from the public about the animal abuse by the China traders. The China nationals were at Bintang Megamall lobby for a trade exhibition and one of their stalls featured fortune-tellin...

EDDIE CHUA The Star 30 Aug 19; PETALING JAYA: The critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill is facing a grave threat from poachers who are after its famed red crown, which is prized by collectors. International wildlife syndicates pay these poachers between US$80 (RM337) and US$100 (RM421) per crown, prized as �red ivory� that can be carved into souvenirs and trinkets. The hunt for these magnificent birds has intensified in Malaysia following a clampdown on poaching activities in Indonesia. The authorities there are keeping a tight watch on airports and seaports. Checks by The Star indicate that online chatter via underground poaching channels has intensified, with offers being repeatedly made to those who could supply syndicates with the hornbills� crowns. The Helmeted Hornbill crown or casque is a solid thick layer of keratin found above its beak, similar to fingernails or rhino horn. It can fetch thousands of ringgit in the black market as these casques can be carved into beautiful a...

The Star 21 Aug 19; PETALING JAYA: The international trade of South-East Asia's most popular songbird, the white-rumped shama, has led to "incredible numbers" of birds seized in markets in and around Malaysia, a 2018 study revealed. According to wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, the study found that close to 70% of 15,480 white-rumped shamas seized in South-East Asia between 2008 and 2018 were destined for international trade. The wildlife trade routes run mainly from and through Malaysia, and to Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. In 2017, the single biggest cross-border seizure involved 4,280 white-rumped shamas smuggled from Malaysia to Indonesia by boat, the study published in Oriental Bird Club found. The keeping of songbirds as pets and for participation in singing competitions is a tradition in the Asian region. The excessive sale of these songbirds in bird markets and online have led to calls for greater protection and regulation. The study's...

Goh Pei Pei New Straits Times 21 Aug 19; SIBU: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation seized more than 400 wild animals which included protected species during their operations last week. Its Chief Executive Officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said a total of 366 animals from 38 species protected under the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) were rescued. �Our team also seized four Imperial Pigeon (Ducula aenea) and a black hornbill, which are among the total of protected species,� he said. Other protected species included pheasants, Hill Mynas, owls, Prevost's squirrels, parrots, mousedeer, peacocks, kijang (barking deer), punai (green pigeon) and tortoise. �All these animals will be sent to the Matang Wildlife Centre and will be kept for monitoring before they are released and returned to the wild,� he said in a statement. Zolkipli urged pet shop and animal farm operators to apply and obtain permits or licences from the Controller of Wildl...

Antara 18 Aug 19; Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Jakarta Animal Aid Network (JAAN) said that based on the 2014 data, the population of Bondol eagle (Haliastur indus) is only 18 in Seribu Islands District, Jakarta Special Region. "The data is from our latest research carried out on several islands out of the existing 87 islands (in Seribu Islands District) in 2014," JAAN Chairperson Benfika said on Kotok Isle, Seribu Islands, on Sunday. JAAN's team conducted its research on the isles of Kotok, Panjaliran, and Rambut. Benfika believed that Bondol eagle does not exist in Jakarta urban area any longer. This is because Bondol eagle, one of the mascots of Jakarta, can only live in unpolluted and healthy ecosystem. Bondol eagles found in Jakarta are only those traded illegally and put in cages as hobby, according to Benfika. "In a year, JAAN can get six to 10 Bondol eagles from poachers or black market," he said. The NGO took the eagles to a breeding center on Kotok Timur Isl...

Prisca Ang Straits Times 11 Aug 19; SINGAPORE - Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found more than 800 ornamental birds in a Malaysia-registered bus at Woodlands Checkpoint on Saturday morning (Aug 10), the largest haul in recent years. The bus was stopped for a security check when it arrived at the checkpoint at 7am. ICA officers noticed that the rear tyres of the bus had been modified and heard chirping sounds coming from within the bus, ICA and the National Parks Board (NParks) said in a statement on Sunday. When they checked the modified compartments above the rear tyres, they found 15 containers with a total of 815 birds hidden in the compartments. This is the largest seizure of ornamental birds in Singapore in the past five years. In April last year, a man who drove a Malaysian-registered tour bus that carried 121 live birds concealed in a compartment was sentenced to eight months' jail. For Saturday's case, as the 35-year-old Malaysian driver ...