Five men have been detained and a range of protected wildlife specimens, including 20 live white-rumped sharma songbirds and a monitor lizard, were seized in separate raids in Perak and Kedah.
The raids involved the wildlife crime bureau at Bukit Aman, the wildlife and parks department (Perhilitan) and local authorities in Lumut, Perak, and Kupang, Kedah, Bernama reported.
A statement from Bukit Aman said the raids on July 24 had successfully dismantled illegal wildlife hunting and trafficking activities.
Four men aged between 31 and 61 were detained in the first raid on a house in Lumut. A live monitor lizard and a range of wildlife parts and weapons were seized.
Among the items confiscated were seven wild boar carcasses, 148 packages of water monitor lizard parts, 80 packages believed to contain wild boar meat, and a live monitor lizard, Bukit Aman said in a statement. A rifle, 30 bullets, 40 used bullet casings, and a bullet belt were also seized.
The team also discovered a necklace with two pendants, believed to be tiger claws, a skull fragment suspected to be from a wild boar, and 23 vials believed to contain water monitor lizard bile.
In a separate raid at 12.45pm in Kedah, a 30-year-old man was arrested and 20 white-rumped sharma (Copsychus malabaricus) birds were seized. The birds, a protected species, have an estimated value of RM200,000.
The white-rumped sharma is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, while the subspecies Copsychus malabaricus tricolor is native to West Malaysia and Sumatra. It is a popular cage bird for its rich and melodious voice.
