Aquaria KLCC remained tightlipped on the sources of several endangered species on Aquaria's display at the convention centre which had caused consternation among the public.

Maintaining that all legal, ethical, and documentation requirements had been fulfilled to Aquaria's satisfaction, Aquaria head curator Paul Hamilton said it was up to the Wildlife Department or supplier if they wanted to reveal the sources of the exhibits.

"We're not privy to how documents are made between the supplier and Wildlife. What Aquaria KLCC looks at is, did the animal come with the correct documentation? Wildlife confirmed that they did," he told malaysiakini in an interview.

"They saw a complete list of everything that the exhibitor wanted to show and the list was approved," he added.

He was responding to queries surrounding the origins of several endangered species, such as the Indian Star Tortoise, the Radiated Tortoise (endemic to Madagascar), and the Malaysian Earth Tiger tarantula that are on display at Aquaria for its month-long reptilian exhibition.

"That's more a question for the exhibitor. I can't answer that for (the exhibitor and Wildlife) and as to how they came about with their documents. The (exhibitor) just had to show the documentation which was verified by the Wildlife Department and that's what they did.

"If the government says, 'yes, all the documents are in order,' then who am I to question it?" said Hamilton.

Dismissing speculations that the tarantula, reportedly a protected wildlife since April 2005, derived from Frazer's Hill (a wild life reserve), Hamilton said it was a case of "media feeding off media"

"As far the permit goes, it says it is from Malaysia and the Wildlife Department can determine where (the collector) can go (to catch it). If Frazer's Hill is a protected site, then (the collector) cannot go to the Hill," said Hamilton.

Display crucial to conservation

The Radiated Tortoise and the River Terrapin, protected under the 1972 Wildlife Protection Act and was also on display at Aquaria, are both listed on Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites-1).

They are threatened with extinction and thus prohibited from being commercially traded. The Indian Star Tortoise is listed on Cites-2, and enjoys lesser restrictions in terms of commercial trade.

Hamilton explained that Cites was not a complete ban on endangered species but merely a convention to regulate trade in them.

"Cites-1 is like a temporary ban. If a animal is placed on Cites-1, the authorities are saying, 'this species can no longer tolerate wild collection, so nobody go into the wild and collect.'

"Once the species becomes successful in the wild again and the numbers increase, it would be moved from Cites-1 to Cites-2," said Hamilton.

He also said that endangered species could have been in the hands of a collector such as that of Aquaria's supplier prior to the inclusion of the species in Cites-1 and were not necessarily acquired from their native countries after being placed under Cites-1.

Hamilton said further that even if an animal were on Cites-1 did not mean that it was prohibited from being displayed in public aquariums or zoos, as it is generally understood that their display is part of public education and thus critical to conservation efforts.

This hinges, however, on the proper placement and care of the species in the hands of scientists and other professionals with the facilities to protect the animals' welfare, said Hamilton.

"Ocean Park, Hong Kong, shows the panda bear, which is on Cites-1, a super-sensitive animal for the world, in an aquarium. Underwater World, Singapore, shows the dugong.

"It would be rare to find a public aquarium anywhere in the world that is not showcasing an endangered species, simply because the authorities prefer that it be a public aquarium that takes responsibility for the animal, more so than anyone else," said Hamilton.

"Aquaria KLCC does and will in the future be displaying endangered species, some of which are on the appendices for Cites," he added.

'Hot spot'

On Wednesday, the New Straits Times reported Wildlife's law and enforcement division director Misliah Mohd Basir as saying that the aquarium was informed last week that the tortoises should not be displayed.

Confirming that the tortoises had been taken off their displays and returned to the supplier who owned them, Hamilton explained that it was not due to any legal considerations but because Aquaria did not want to court any controversy in displaying the Cites species.

"There is a lack of understanding in the community here in Malaysia over how the (Cites) permit system works and I don't think this is the first time that they have been pursued over this species. So this is a species they want to avoid having any dealings with," said Hamilton.

"It is one hot spot for conversation. But it's not that it wasn't legal or that it didn't have documentation, because that's not the truth. It did have documentation, it was legal. It's just a sensitive issue which they'd like to avoid. That's why they requested to take it off display."

Hamilton also said the exhibition, including that of the endangered species such as the River Terrapin, was the result of lengthy discussions between Aquaria, the supplier, and government agencies.

The discussions, he added, included plans for Aquaria to start a significant conservation project together with a "prestigious Malaysian university" involving considerable investments by Aquaria.