PUTRAJAYA: The Wildlife Department rescued 30 endangered and exotic animals, including a tiger cub, in five raids nationwide under Op Taring 4 yesterday.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said five people were arrested during the raids conducted in Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan.
Among the animals seized were a dwarf caiman, an owl, a Mollucan Cockatoo and a bearcat.
"These animals are endangered and they have their own crucial roles in keeping the balance of the ecosystem,” Wan Junaidi told reporters at a press conference to announce the success of Op Taring 4 today.
But he said most of those caught could easily come up with the money to pay fines even as high as the maximum RM500,000.
Wan Junaidi said that a mandatory jail sentence could be an effective deterrent that would make anyone think twice before committing the crime.
"We can consider making it an (offense punishable with a) mandatory jail sentence for those caught with endangered species by amending the relevant laws,"
"Animals do not like to be caged. I believe the perpetrators will not like (to be jailed) too," he said.
Wan Junaidi said the female tiger cub rescued during a raid at a private residence in Hulu Langat could fetch a handsome price of between RM150,000 and RM200,000.
The authorities also detained a foreigner at KLIA yesterday allegedly trying to smuggle out body parts believed to be from a tiger.
The Wildlife Department had conducted a three month-long surveillance based on information gathered from social media before carrying out the raids.