Undetected wildlife trafficking at M'sian border indicates corruption: NGO

Summary

• Gibbon Conservation Society questions if corruption is the reason why Malaysia failed to stop gibbons smuggled on flights from KL airport.

• It also urges authorities to investigate if baby gibbons came from illegal breeding centres in Malaysia.

The failure of Malaysian border control authorities to detect and stop the smuggling of infant gibbons in suitcases recently calls to question whether corruption is at play.

This is because the authorities in India were able to intercept the trafficking activity to arrest the culprit after they landed in various airports in the country, from Kuala Lumpur-origin flights, said the Gibbon Conservation Society.

“If Indian authorities have intercepted three cases (of wildlife trafficking) in 2024, and more in 2025, how many others have slipped through undetected?

“Given the stringent security protocols at Malaysia’s international airports, how did these gibbons pass through customs and airport security without being noticed?

“This raises grave concerns about oversight failures, corruption, or gaps in enforcement within Malaysia’s border security and airport surveillance,” the NGO said in a statement yesterday.

The NGO’s founder Mariani Ramli added that the recent reports of smuggled wildlife from Malaysia to India indicate things have gone from bad to worse.

She said that in 2024, more than 5,000 wildlife smuggled from Malaysia were confiscated in India.

“Things are not getting better. Should we be afraid? Are we in crisis?” she asked.

Gibbons, macaques hidden in suitcases

Earlier this month the Customs Departments in Mumbai and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India foiled two attempts to smuggle primates from Malaysia into the country, via passenger flights.

In the Mumbai case, five infant gibbons were hidden in plastic containers in a trolley suitcase carried by a passenger, who travelled on a Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Three of the primates had died while two were in critical condition upon rescue and will be sent back to Malaysia once rehabilitated.

In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands case, eight juvenile primates - the pig-tailed macaque and gibbon - were recovered in the bags of two passengers who flew on an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur.

The alleged smugglers had intended to continue travel to Bengaluru and Chennai, local media reported.

Last October a Malaysian woman was caught in the Chennai Airport trying to traffic four gibbons and 52 iguanas via a flight from Kuala Lumpur.

In September 2024, a passenger from Kuala Lumpur flew to Chennai Airport with 5,000 turtles in his luggage, while the month before that the authorities there intercepted 778 Indian star tortoises found in a passenger’s baggage.

AI scanners enhanced

When contacted by Malaysiakini, the Customs Department said it has enhanced artificial intelligence scanners which can detect wildlife smuggling but it only scans hand-held bags.

It did not detect any wildlife smuggled in hand-held bags scanned at Kuala Lumpur International Airport this month.

Checked-in luggage is handled by Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd, who when contacted declined to comment on the recent cases but said that it had enhanced its security checks to combat wildlife trafficking in 2023, including introducing additional checks and sniffer dogs.

The NGO said authorities investigating the cases should also look into the origins of the infant and juvenile gibbons, which are an endangered species.

This is to determine if they were captured in the wild, or bred in “illegal breeding facilities” posing as “wildlife sanctuaries” or “rescue centres”.

“Are the Malaysian authorities investigating the supply chains and possible involvement of such facilities?” the NGO asked.

Aseanapol focuses on eliminating scam call centres, trafficking links

M'sia's first rhino horns smuggling trial after Sepang duo plead not guilty

US sanctions Malaysian group for alleged wildlife trafficking