DEMAND for Chinese traditional medicine in China and Hong Kong is a direct threat to the sun bear and pangolin in Sarawak, state environment minister Len Talif Salleh said today.

He told a workshop on the illegal wildlife trade in Kuching today that the bear’s bile and pangolin’s scales are highly sought after in traditional medicine.

Locals are involved in poaching the animals for international wildlife traders, he added.

Len Talif said the body parts that are in demand are smuggled across the Sarawak-Kalimantan border into Indonesian territory for the first leg of the journey.

While China is a hot destination, exotic animals and plants from Sarawak’s forests also end up in Europe and as far away as South Africa, as pets and collectors’ items.

“This is a multibillion-dollar business and its seriously endangering our wildlife.

“We need to be vigilant at our (Sarawak-Kalimantan) border and nip the problem in the bud,” he told the workshop.

Len Talif cited the success of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) – controller of the state’s wildlife – in breaking up five illegal wildlife rings in Kapit on October 5.

In a raid on one location, SFC officers seized 148 pieces of hornbill ivory, 152 pieces of the bird’s feathers, 192 pieces of peacock feathers, 16 pieces of pangolin scales, three Barking Deer antlers, six antlers of unidentified deer species, 183 pieces of bear biles, 96 pieces of porcupine thorns and various parts of wildlife that had yet to be identified.

He also disclosed that a 56-year-old suspect had even tried to bribe the raiding SFC officers.

Len Talif did not state the amount of the bribe in his address but in the copy of the text of his speech, it was stated the amount offered was RM10,000.

SFC has referred the man to the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

Other raids at Terasang market broke up an operation to sell wild animal parts, like the meat of the soft turtle, its 35kg shell, peacock eggs, deer antlers and skulls of the bear.

Len Talif said, while the sale of protected wildlife’s meat at markets throughout the state had been severely curbed by the daily inspection of SFC officers, more needed to be done to block the outflow of wildlife and their body parts across the border to Kalimantan.

SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton today said the global illegal wildlife trade is worth RM92 billion, and is the fourth most lucrative global crime after drugs, human trafficking and counterfeit products.

“Therefore, the Sarawak government is serious in combating illegal wildlife trade or anything in breach of the (state’s) Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998,” Zolkipli said.

The law makes killing, keeping, selling, buying protected wildlife or body parts without licence or permit an offence. – October 9, 2019.