LETTER | The positive impact of the Covid-19 movement restrictions on the environment has been highlighted all over the world, as its flora and fauna were given much-needed respite from human activity for a few months. Noticeably, less has been said about how in the course of this period, some quarters had capitalised on pandemic-fuelled chaos and fear to accelerate pre-existing or new poaching operations.

Last month, we were informed that Blue-Rumped Parrots (Bayan puling, Psittinus cyanurus) were being trapped and poached by these forest marauders. This is a Near Threatened bird species whose population has dwindled from trapping and habitat destruction. 

Our shock was not only the discovery that yet another wild bird species was being harvested for the illegal wild bird trade and personal gain - and that too in broad daylight - but also, how it was possible for the poachers to emerge with their captive birds from the restricted area of the Klang Gates Dam. Accounts of this nature perpetuate a perception that very often there is a lack of enforcement on trapping and poaching of wild birds.

We have also been told that Leafbirds (Daun, Chloropsis species), Scarlet Minivets (Mas Belukar, Pericrocotus flammeus) and the Sultan Tit (Serai Sultan, Melanochlora sultanea), among other species, have been poached in areas such as the Gombak forest reserve (part of the Selangor State Park), and parts of Genting Highlands, Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam (formerly Bukit Cherakah forest reserve) and other community forests. 

This suggests that bird trapping and poaching is rampant in many areas, and this is probably only the tip of a massive iceberg of a national conservation problem.

Left unchecked, bird poaching will result in our forests and recreational areas being devoid of many protected and beautiful bird species and deprive future generations of the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy these wonders of nature.

Although there is no publicly available data on widespread bird trapping/poaching in Malaysia as yet — either from the time before or during the movement control order — reported evidence in local and regional news media suggests that over the years our biodiversity has taken a severe beating due to extremely weak government action against bird and wildlife trappers/traffickers and hunters. This was a key reason for the adoption of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which replaced the long-outdated Protection of Wildlife Act 1972.

Lauded then, the revised Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 was a turning point in the country’s wildlife regulations. By 2019, its novelty had worn thin. With poaching cases soaring across the nation, the Pakatan Harapan government had initiated steps to tighten this law, recognising that failure to do so might result in more species becoming extinct, including the iconic Malayan tiger (Harimau Malaya, Panthera tigris jacksoni). 

A proposal to imprison poachers for more than ten years and impose a maximum fine of RM5 million upon conviction was expected to be tabled by the end of that year. The fate of this legislation now is unknown.

Admittedly, the conservation of wildlife is the responsibility of all. A recent uproar on social media about the sale of turtle eggs on an e-commerce website resulted in the latter banning the merchant and such sales on its platform. This is a testimony of the powers that corporate and private actors can wield when they work together. For the most part, unfortunately, this is not common and offenders more often get away with impunity.

For this reason, we, the Titiwangsa Bird-Biodiversity Society Pro Tem Committee, call upon the government and its agencies, including Perhilitan (Department of Wildlife and Nature Parks, Peninsular Malaysia), to address violations of wildlife laws in this country with greater seriousness. 

We love our nature, birds, wildlife and biodiversity. These are an integral part of our invaluable heritage, and we fear that we will ultimately be the biggest losers of this alarming apathy in the conservation scenario.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.