INVESTIGATORS looking into the death of hundreds of turtles in Semporna last month have stumbled on a racket dealing in bush meat in Sabah’s east coast.

The carcases of bearded pigs, flying fox, civet cats and pangolin were found in the freezers of a restaurant operating at Batu 2 Jalan Bulbul in Semporna as enforcers turn their turtle investigation inland.

Officers also found two live monitor lizards and two reticulated pythons, both of which are protected species, inside several cages in the restaurant.  

“It is clear there is an active supply and demand in the district,” Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the bush meat was also sold to private homes.

In September, social media users reported the discovery of the skeletal remains of hundreds of turtles in about three separate incidents, leading to claims among locals that they were captured and sold to local restaurants in the district.

Tuuga’s assertion confirmed a The Malaysian Insight report on the poaching and sale of wildlife in the state.

Three men have also been arrested for possessing venison without permit.

“A roadblock was set up by my men in Sg Udin in Tawau, along the Tawau-Kalabakan road.

“The first arrest involved a lorry driver and his passenger, while the second arrest involved a 34-year-old driver of a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

“The vehicles were heading to Tawau from Kalabakan when the arrests were made,” he said.

Tuuga said a local, the owner of the restaurant, and the three men are now being investigated under Section 41(2) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

Meanwhile, the department is investigating the killing of yet another bull elephant at an oil palm estate in Tawau.

Confirming the death, Tuuga said the elephant had been shot, but refused to confirm whether it was the work of poachers.

“I can confirm the death but it’s not true that its tusks were removed,” he said.

The elephant was shot elsewhere before arriving at the oil palm estate in Ladang Cenderamata along Jalan Merotai-Kalabakan.

Plantation workers spotted the carcass and informed the estate manager who in turn contacted the department.

The state government is mulling shifting the burden of proof from prosecuting officers who face difficulty in obtaining witness to crimes against protected species.

The government is also looking into ways to ensure landowners and plantation owners take stock of the protected species found on their land and care for them.

This move follows the death of various protected species in Sabah, including elephants and turtles, in recent years. – November 16, 2017.