KUCHING: Two men were arrested for selling sea turtle eggs at Pasar Tamu Kubah Ria here.
Aged 65 and 26, they were detained during a spot check by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) enforcement team last Saturday.
Both suspects were subsequently brought to the police station for investigation and further action.
The 65-year-old suspect was nabbed at 9.45am with 214 eggs while the second suspect was caught around 3pm with 438 eggs.
The penalty for anyone who hunts, kills, keeps, sells or consumes protected animals is one-year imprisonment and a RM10,000 fine; while in the case of sea turtles, which are totally protected in Sarawak, the maximum fine is RM50,000 and five years’ jail.
SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said, “The state government has allocated RM70 million for Sarawak Forestry to deploy reef balls along the state shoreline to conserve and protect marine life, especially sea turtles.
“Other than that, we are also promoting sea turtle adoption and conservation programme to the public as part of our efforts.”
In a separate case, the statement said enforcement officers seized 17 packs of wild boar meat at Market Bandar Riyal Kota Samarahan and detained a 62-year-old suspect.
According to the state Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998, commercial sale of bearded pigs is strictly prohibited.
The seller can be fined up to RM5,000 while the buyer can be fined up to RM2,000.
“If you have more than five kilogrammes in your possession, you will be deemed having the intent to sell. Thus, you can also be charged up to RM5,000.”
Zolkipli added that SFC had conducted relentless operations throughout the state and had once again proven successful in the campaign against illegal wildlife trade.
Members of the public with information are encouraged to report through SFC’s hotlines in Kuching (019-885 9996, 016-856 5564), Sibu (013-811 0150, 019-888 3561), Bintulu (019-822 3449, 019-833 2737) or Miri (019-822 4566, 019-829 0994).
