Orangutans Saved As Malaysia Foils High-seas Smuggling Bid
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published September 24, 2018 | 03:40 PM
A pair of young orangutans, baby crocodiles and rare birds were among over 400 animals rescued from a boat off Malaysia as they were being smuggled from neighbouring Indonesia, officials said Monday.
Kuala Lumpur, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Sep, 2018 ) :A pair of young orangutans, baby crocodiles and rare birds were among over 400 animals rescued from a boat off Malaysia as they were being smuggled from neighbouring Indonesia, officials said Monday.
Three suspected Indonesian traffickers were arrested after customs officials thwarted the bid to transport the animals to Thailand in an operation Friday off the Malaysian holiday island Langkawi.
The unusual cargo included two "frightened-looking" orangutans and dozens of baby saltwater crocodiles, Malaysian wildlife official Mohamad Zaki Rahim told AFP.
There were also about 350 sugar gliders -- a type of small marsupial -- cockatoos, parrots and parakeets found in boxes on board, he said, adding the smugglers intended to sell all the animals as pets.
The smugglers were seeking to transport the animals under cover of darkness in a cargo vessel from the vast, jungle-clad Indonesian island of Sumatra, through the Malacca Strait to Thailand, customs chief T.
Subromaniam told the Star newspaper.
But Malaysian customs officers received information about the boat and intercepted it, Subromaniam said.
The arrested Indonesians, who were on the vessel when it was stopped, are expected to be charged in court for breaking wildlife laws and could face up to 10 years in jail, Mohamad Zaki said.
Elizabeth John, spokeswoman for wildlife trade watchdog Traffic, said that the number and variety of animals seized showed "how tremendous the pressure is on wildlife due to demand for pets".
Authorities in Malaysia, a tropical Southeast Asian country that is home to many rare species, regularly thwart smuggling attempts, but finding 400 animals at the same time is unusual.
In June 2017, Thai authorities nabbed a Malaysian trying to smuggle two juvenile orangutans and some 60 other animals in a taxi through the country's southern border.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PITB HR Wing organizes Eid Milan celebration for children at PITB Day Care Cente ..
SONY x TECNO - is this for real?
PTI to stage nationwide protests against alleged electoral frauds
Senate continues discussion on Presidential address to Joint Sitting of Parliame ..
Masood Khan calls for Pak-US cooperation for regional peace
Interior Minister starts Margalla Trail Patrol for security
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 26 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 26 April 2024
ICC Womens T20 World Cup Qualifier, Match 2: Ireland Women open with Comfortable ..
Robinson, bowlers help New Zealand go 2-1 up against Pakistan
Shahzeb Chachar to hold khuli kachehri on April 26
Heatwave amid Israel's aggression in Gaza brings new misery, disease risk
More Stories From World
-
Blinken says US campus protests part of 'democracy'
56 seconds ago -
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
21 minutes ago -
Team from Gaza mediator Egypt heads to Israel: source
41 minutes ago -
Xi tells Blinken US, China should be 'partners, not rivals'
41 minutes ago -
Ukraine agriculture minister freed on bail in corruption case
1 hour ago -
Vietnam National Assembly head resigns amid graft purge
1 hour ago
-
Calls for mosque demolition weigh on India's Muslim voters
1 hour ago -
Chinese shares close higher Friday
1 hour ago -
China's EV execs bullish on Western pressure at Beijing car show
1 hour ago -
EU toughens rules on fashion retailer Shein
1 hour ago -
Xi meets U.S. secretary of state in Beijing
2 hours ago -
Ukrainian minister detained over suspected corruption: prosecutors
2 hours ago