KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said he does not condone the sale of meat from wildlife, especially protected ones.
However, he said wild boars were pests to local farmers and river frogs were not on the list of protected wildlife, therefore, the native communities could sell them to earn extra income.
He pointed out that some forestry officers were over enthusiastic in protecting wildlife without realising that some rural communities needed the sale of game meat to supplement their income.
Masing had recently called on enforcement personnel not to be too strict with these sellers as many depended on this for a living.
He said the enforcement authorities should be selective to ensure the sellers were not selling totally protected species.
Following his statement, a concerned public voiced their opinion that this would lead to more people venturing into this “localised business”.
Under Section 33 of the Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998, no person is allowed to sell or offer for sale any protected wild mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, and the penalty is a fine of RM5,000.
Under Section 34 of the same ordinance, any person who buys any protected wild animal is guilty of an offence and the penalty is a fine of RM2,000.
