A RETIREE was forced to part with his beloved exotic birds after they were seized by Sabah Wildlife Department officers yesterday.

Personnel from the department’s Wildlife Rescue Unit left the 63-year-old man’s home in Kapayan with a white-browed shama, a magpie robin and seven blue-crowned hanging parrots.

The birds were kept in cages, and the man did not have a permit to keep the animals.

The birds are listed under Part I of Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. Those found to be in possession of the birds face a fine of up to RM100,000, or five years’ jail.

In another case, the department seized a long-tailed macaque from its 48-year-old owner in Kibabaig, Penampang.

The man failed to produce a permit to keep the animal, which is also listed under Part 1 of Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment.

The department said all the animals were seized following tip-offs from the public.

Officers carried out the seizures after obtaining a search warrant from a Sabah court. – July 4, 2018.