CHERAS: As many as 50 protected animals and birds were seized in raids carried out by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia (Perhilitan).

Seven people were detained in the raids for supplying wildlife through illegal online businesses and another four were detained for poaching.

Among the 49 animals seized in three raids on March 27 were leaf monkeys (lotong cengkong), civets (musang), Asiatic leopard cats (kucing batu), Indian star tortoises and hill myna (burung tiong mas) while a dead barking deer was seized on March 29 from four poachers, said Perhilitan.

“The department has been monitoring them (the illegal traders) and we believe we have crippled a major syndicate that trades wildlife in Peninsular Malaysia through social media,” said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

He said this in a press conference Saturday to announce Perhilitan’s Ops Taring V enforcement operations.-thestar