KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) arrested two local men in possession of four bear paws and one gall bladder, suspected to be from at least one poached sun bear, yesterday.
This came less than two weeks after two locals were found to be in possession of eight bear paws and two bear gall bladders.
“The duo from the interior region of Sabah were arrested in Asia City downtown at 11.45am while trying to sell these illegal wildlife products to the public.
"The suspects, aged 28 and 41, are being remanded for four days to assist investigation. They will soon be charged under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, Section 41(1) which carries a jail term of up to five years or a fine of up to RM50,000, or both," said department director William Baya.
William said the two latest incidents showed that wildlife poaching in Sabah has reached epic proportions and if not curbed, will spell total extinction of not only sun bears but also most other wildlife in Sabah.
"Having new roads traversing protected forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries have severely increased these illegal hunting activities throughout Sabah.
"There is no safe place for wildlife anymore in Sabah," added William in a statement.
He noted that illegal wildlife trade is also seeing a resurgence in Sabah with the rampant use of social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
"We are monitoring these developments closely. We see that this illegal trade are not just confined to people living near forest reserves but also government officers and professionals in urban areas.
"Rest assured my department will work harder and tirelessly to apprehend these criminals who are destroying Sabah’s natural resources due to their greed," he said.