SANDAKAN – The Sabah Forestry Department’s enforcement team, Protect Unit, has arrested seven suspects for possessing two rifles and several bullets in their car at the border of the Paitan forest reserve in Beluran yesterday.
Sabah chief forest conservator Datuk Frederick Kugan, in a statement, said that the arrest was made during an anti-poaching operation, in which a suspicious-looking four-wheel drive was stopped and inspected.
Authorities found two rifles and several bullets, and all seven suspects in the car had failed to present a valid permit for wildlife hunting or a firearms licence.
“Even though they are suspected to be poachers, the inspection did not find any carcass of animals.
“All the suspects have been handed over to the Beluran police station for further action,” he said, adding that possessing firearms without a valid licence is an offence under the Arms Act 1960.
Kugan advised the public not to engage in illegal hunting, saying that other than being a violation of the law, such an action would cause the extinction of fauna listed as rare, threatened, and endangered, such as banteng or tembadau (endangered ox).
“Any poaching activity must also be reported to the Sabah Forestry Department and the Wildlife Department,” he added. – The Vibes, February 27, 2022
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