KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s decision to amend the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 is timely in view of the rampant poaching cases that threaten protected species.
Animal welfare activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the numbers of various wildlife species have been declining, even within protected areas, due to poaching and illegal deforestation.
“We need to have a more comprehensive and stricter law to deter the culprits as the rise of social media and online trading portals has also worsened the situation.
“The (government) had previously proposed a shoot-on-sight policy against wildlife poachers in a move to protect Malayan tigers.
“However, I believe that the authorities should first focus on introducing a deterrent punishment by amending the existing law before embarking on such a harsh move,” he said in a statement.
It was reported that Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar had expressed concern that tigers might become extinct in less than 10 years.
He said the ministry was amending the act to imprison poachers for more than 10 years and fine them up to RM5 million upon conviction. The amendment is expected to be tabled by year-end.
Lee, however, stressed that protecting wildlife was not the sole responsibility of enforcement agencies, but needs a commitment from other parties as well.
“Protecting wildlife and our nature's treasure trove is not only the responsibility of the enforcement agencies but requires collaboration across NGOs, government, corporate stakeholders and local communities.
“We must take immediate action to help conserve our biodiversity which includes more than 15,000 species of flowering plants, 1,500 species of terrestrial vertebrates, and about 150,000 species of invertebrates.
“We should not allow more species to face the same fate as the Sumatran rhino which is already extinct in the wild or the fate of leatherback turtle, Malayan tiger and gaur which are in peril,” he emphasised.
Lee added that efforts to protect our wildlife are also in line with the theme for this year's Earth Day celebration which is “Protect Our Species”.
“It is intended to educate and raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of various species of fauna and flora. Greater public awareness, better law enforcement and political will are needed to not only prevent poaching activities and illegal wildlife trade, but also to avoid over-exploitation of natural resources,” he said.
On Thursday, the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court fined two Vietnamese citizens RM1.56 million for poaching.
Hoang Van Viet, 29, and Nguyen Van Thiet, 26, were also each sentenced to two years’ jail after being convicted of 20 charges for illegal possession of threatened and protected animal parts.
Following the sentence, a Zoo Negara expert also proposed for the introduction of the death penalty or life imprisonment for those found guilty of poaching tigers.