SAM: Bio-detection tools vital to curb wildlife smuggling

The Star

18-05-2025

PETALING JAYA: Border authorities at the international gateways should be equipped with bio-­detection technologies to curb wildlife smuggling attempts, says an environmental group.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman said aside from using sniffer dogs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) currently, the authorities should use devices that could detect heart beat or carbon dioxide.
'The airport needs to be upgraded and equipped with these facilities and this should be done soonest, seeing that there are many cases of wildlife trafficking.
'Lessons can also be learned from the airports in India where rising numbers of smuggled wildlife end up.
'The country's enforcement has benefited from sharper customs profiling, manual screening and intelligence-led approaches,' she said.
Meenakshi also said India has stepped up its response through training programmes led by Traffic, WWF-India and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, focusing on detection, legal procedures and forensic skills.
'More public education is equally critical. Greater awareness of the consequences of wildlife trafficking on biodiversity, public health and national security can help reduce demand for exotic pets,' she said.
Last month, the Natural Resour­ces and Environmental Sustaina­bility Ministry said a total of 10 investigation papers have been opened in connection with wildlife smuggling activities at KLIA between 2023 and April this year.
The ministry said the cases involved the smuggling of exotic and native species such as turtles, snakes, birds and primates.
From January 2023 to March this year, collaboration between Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) had led to the rescue of RM5.4mil worth of protected wildlife.
MAHB said among the key efforts were through the deployment of two Belgian Malinois sniffer dogs, gifted by Perhilitan, to detect hidden wildlife in luggage.
According to Perhilitan, there were attempts to smuggle 4,200 exotic animals from KLIA in 2024, a 42% increase from 2023.
In 2022, half of the 56 smuggling attempts in India arrived in that country via Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, WWF-Malaysia welcomed the move, saying that it supports enforcement agencies carrying out joint operations, capacity building and intelligence sharing.
'We collaborate with multi-­agency initiatives such as Ops Bersepadu Khazanah and engage with platforms like the Malaysia Wildlife Enforcement Network to help disrupt smuggling syndicates and protect endangered species such as the Malayan tiger, pangolin and sun bear.
'Wildlife smuggling is a serious transboundary crime that threatens biodiversity, undermines national security and damages Malaysia's international reputation,' it said in a statement.
While commending the government's commitment, WWF-Malaysia also urged the public to play their part and support the government's efforts by not keeping, buying or consuming any wildlife or wildlife parts to curb demands of wildlife trafficking.
Wildlife trade monitoring network, Traffic Malaysia, told The Star that there is likely a vast network of smuggling syndicates that operate in the country.
It said the syndicate will typically involve funding and connections to source the wildlife before packaging and sending them to the destinations.
'Upon investigation, a typical trafficking chain could involve countless hunters and collectors, hundreds of people to plan, store, care for and move the animals, and numerous transport hubs across the world to enable this level of supply,' it said.
Traffic Malaysia said for cases involving live wildlife, it usually involved juvenile animals, most likely to feed a demand for exotic pets.
Referring to several attempted smuggling cases in Indian airports that originate from Kuala Lumpur, Traffic Malaysia said there is also a great variety from across the globe and not necessarily from the country of departure.
'For instance, Indian authorities found a marble polecat and red-eared slider turtles in the luggage of a traveller from Malaysia.
'These species are not found in Malaysia. They've also discovered other turtles and tortoises from North and South America and various countries in Africa in luggage originating in Malaysia,' it said.
Gibbons, often seen in such ­seizures, could have originated from Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand, it added.