KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should fast track setting up the Wildlife Crime Bureau under the police to tackle wildlife poaching and trafficking.
The recent arrest of a Malaysian suspect in Thailand showed that illicit wildlife trading was still rampant in the country.
Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme country director Dr Mark Rayan Darmaraj said such a unit could be a game-changer for intelligence-gathering and swift prosecution.
"I believe this unit, if established with a full force of over 40 personnel will complement Perhilitan's (Wildlife and National Parks Department) efforts to show poachers and illegal wildlife traders that Malaysia is serious about saving wildlife and halting the illegal trade.
"Species taken from Malaysian jungles include pangolins, tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, sunbears and elephants( for their ivory and skin)," he said.
He said animal parts or their derivatives were usually transported north to, or through, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and China.
He said the latest development was great news for wildlife conservation and hoped that enforcement agencies could collect enough evidence to build an air-tight case.
"It is hoped that an entire network linked to illegal wildlife trade, from poachers to middlemen and traders be brought down, and not just a single person.
"It is also hoped that a proper understanding of how a syndicate works is gained so that the links that bind the businesses can be broken down."
He advised the public against supporting the illegal wildlife pet trade and reminded them not to consume exotic food or medicine that contained parts or derivatives from totally protected or threatened wildlife species.
"Encourage friends and families who visit countries that offer such exotic food, wine or medicine not to patronise such premises or their services."
The Wildlife Crime Bureau is proposed to be under the police's Internal Security and Public Order Department to help Perhilitan investigate wildlife smuggling and trade syndicates.
Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) president, founder and chief executive officer Andrew Sebastian said the recent arrest showed that wildlife trafficking was active in the country, involving Malaysians and foreigners.
He said all parties must play a part to protect wildlife by keeping an eye out for suspicious activities in forests and neighbourhoods and reporting them to the authorities.
"We must remain vigilant because a lot of our protected species are still critically endangered and still being hunted and traded.
"Kudos to Perhilitan for monitoring them (poachers and illegal wildlife traders). I know there are loopholes in the law and Perhilitan should be given a lot more resources and support that cut across the agencies," he said.
He said ECOMY trained communities to look out for animal traps and suspicious activities around them.
"Poaching is still very bad and Covid-19 did not help. In fact, it drove online sales of wildlife, making it difficult to catch those trading exotic species.
"Illegal wildlife trade crippled potential ecotourism activities that were far more sustainable and beneficial to local communities living in and around protected areas."