Authorities urge sun bear owners to return them voluntarily
Members of the public who keep sun bear as pets are urged to contact wildlife authorities so that the animals can be returned to their original habitat, said the police.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department deputy director Zainal Abidin Kasim told reporters today that in exchange for doing so voluntarily, the owners would not be arrested or prosecuted...
Members of the public who keep sun bears as pets are urged to contact wildlife authorities so that the animals can be returned to their original habitat, said the police.
Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (KDNKA) deputy director Zainal Abidin Kasim told reporters today that in exchange for doing so voluntarily, the owners would not be arrested or prosecuted.
According to Zainal, who is part of the chain of command in a joint-operation named “Operation Khazanah” to combat wildlife trafficking, such activities were detected in Malaysia, especially among urbanites.
"The latest information we received is the trading of sun bears, which some urbanites like to keep as pets.
"If you have any relatives or someone you know that keep sun bears as pets, please inform us and we will come peacefully to take away the animals.
"Return the sun bears and we will not make arrests or prosecute (the owners)," he told the media at Bukit Aman today.
The press conference was held to update the latest successes in Operation Khazanah, which is a joint operation between the police and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).
Also present at the press conference was Perhilitan deputy director-general Fakhrul Hatta Musa, and Bukit Aman KDNKA deputy director (General Operations Force) Mastor Mohd Ariff.
Zainal said they believed the growing trend of keeping sun bears as pets is because of its small size and its friendliness.
He said the authorities suspect that poaching of sun bears could also involve the Orang Asli, who find the wildlife in the forest and gives them to others.
"Sometimes, those who took these bears are the Orang Asli themselves. They hunt the bears and then they give it to anyone who wants to have them."
The authorities, however, did not provide information regarding how many such cases were encountered so far.
Besides sun bears, Zainal also urged those with information regarding traders who peddle parts of wild animals to immediately contact the authorities.
He said such activities were detected in Bukit Bintang and Petaling Street, and also at the Chow Kit market.
"If you see them, take a photo and send to us. We will do the rest," he said.
According to the Bornean Sun Bear Conversation Centre's website, the decline of sun bear population in the world had led to them being classified as vulnerable species in 2007.
Among the threats faced by the mammal are the loss of habitat due to deforestation and logging, commercial hunting and pet trade.
The most recent known case of a sun bear being illegally kept as a pet in Malaysia was in June, when a female singer was detained by Perhilitan for keeping the animal in her condominium in Desa Pandan.
The department raided the condo unit after receiving information that the sun bear was left for two days in the condo when the celebrity returned to her hometown for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.