Man fined, jailed for illegal possession of protected animal

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Handout photo of the silvered langur found dead by SFC members in 2021.

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SRI AMAN: The Sessions Court here fined a man RM5,000 and one day in prison for illegally possessing a protected silvered langur (Presbytis cristata) without a licence.

Goh, 21, pleaded guilty before Judge Intan Nurul Farena Zainal Abidin to the charge framed under Section 29(1)(c) of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 (Chapter 26), which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, a fine of up to RM25,000, or both.

The offence took place in Betong at around 4.20pm on Dec 7, 2021, when Goh was found with a silvered langur, a fully protected species under the ordinance, without a valid licence.

Judge Intan Nurul Farena sentenced him to a day in prison and fined him RM5,000, with an additional six-month prison term if he fails to pay the fine.

According to the case facts, a Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) team from Sibu raided a house in Pekan Baru, Pusa, after receiving information about protected wildlife being kept there.

A smartphone seized from Goh contained pictures and conversations related to wildlife sales.

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Upon SFC’s arrival, Goh allegedly threw the langur into a garbage bin, causing injuries that led to the animal’s death.

Investigations confirmed that the animal was a silvered langur, a species fully protected under Part I of the First Schedule of the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998.

Deputy public prosecutor Ronald Felix Hardin and prosecuting officer Willy Chin handled the case. Goh was unrepresented by counsel.

Handout photo show of the garbage bin in which the man threw the silvered langur into.

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