IPOH – The Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan) has lodged a police report regarding the actions of several individuals pulling out the whiskers of a Malayan tiger that was found dead and believed to have been hit by a trailer on the North-South Expressway (PLUS) in Perak yesterday.
Its Perak director Yusoff Shariff said the report was made at the Kampung Simee Police Station here yesterday afternoon.
Bernama reported him as saying that what the culprits did constitutes an offence under Section 68 (c) of the Wildlife Conservation (Amendment) Act 2022.
It deals with “hunting, etc, (of) totally protected wildlife without special permit”. The list of animals covered in this clause includes the tiger (Panthera tigris).
Any person who takes or keeps any part or derivative of a totally protected wildlife – in this case a tiger – without a special permit faces a fine of up to RM150,000 and imprisonment of up to fifteen years upon conviction.
The punishment applies to those who own or keep fully protected wild animals, including their derivatives such as nails, bones, skin, whiskers, without permission.
A 24-second video showing some men pulling out the tiger's whiskers several times has gone viral on social media.
Yusoff said that an autopsy was conducted on the carcass of the male tiger, estimated to be 8 to 10 years old, at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Sungkai yesterday. Further investigations are still being carried out.
"When I did the inspection, only the whiskers were missing. The claws, teeth, fangs and others were still on the tiger," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
He reminded the public not to pilfer any part belonging to a tiger if they find the carcass of the animal, so as to avoid being punished.
The endangered Malayan tiger is believed to have been hit by a heavy vehicle along the North-South Expressway at Gopeng.
The animal was found dead in the middle of the highway barrier there.
The authorities believe he was killed while trying to cross the road soon after midnight yesterday. – The Vibes, November 10, 2023
