The authorities have seized a variety of butchered wildlife, including monkeys, pythons and pangolins, which were destined for the cooking pot, local media reported today.

An eight-man team from the Wildlife and National Parks Department found the meat of the protected species in a raid o­n a store in southern Negri Sembilan state following a tip-off, the Bernama news agency said.

"A variety of wildlife animal meat, obtained illegally for distribution to restaurants, was found in the refrigerator," said the department's state director, Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim.

Among the items seized were 32 kilogrammes of monitor lizard meat, 28 kilogrammes of python and skinned animals including two pangolins, four wild cats, 14 civets and seven monkeys.

A 51-year-old man, believed to be a supplier of exotic meat to local and Singaporean restaurants, was arrested, Jamalun said.

The man had a previous conviction for possessing meat from protected deer and two of his restaurants in central Selangor and southern Johor states had been closed down by the authorities. - AFP