Tourism players urged to fight against wildlife crime

By TIN Media | Tourism Malaysia Published 4 years ago on 23 January 2020
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KOTA KINABALU:

Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew, urged players in the tourism industry, especially in Sabah, to play their part in supporting the fight against wildlife crime, sharing correct information about the country's wildlife and relevant legislation.

Also, she hopes that the conservation partners and collaborators will maintain the momentum to raise awareness of illegal trade in wildlife and continue to assist the public in enforcement efforts.

"The pangolin is indeed a suitable species to represent the threatened wildlife status at Sabah. It could act as an ambassador for our wildlife to remind us that humans and wildlife need to coexist and that we all need to work together to protect them before it's too late, "she said at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here Tuesday when launching the" KKIA Wildlife Awareness Program and Pangolin Sculpture.

The program was jointly organized with the help of Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), Danau Girang Field Center (DGFC), Future Alam Borneo and Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

Liew, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said a 2017 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime revealed that when wildlife and timber crime are combined, illegal trade in flora and fauna is now ranked fourth behind drugs and people as the biggest transnational crime.

"Despite the existence of wildlife crime laws in all countries, wildlife smuggling and illegal trafficking continue in an upward trend, where demand is motivated by the misguided assumption that these parts of the animal contain medicinal properties.

"Pangolins tend to be poached for their meat and scales, and elephants for their tusks face the same fate, and rhinos for their horns," she said.


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