KUALA LUMPUR: A shop here that looks unassuming and just like any other traditional medicine shop was raided by authorities recently, exposing it for storing wild animal body parts and illegal items.
The premises in the Chow Kit area also offered skin, claws and tiger teeth to be made or turned into protective amulets and charms.
The illegal activity of selling body parts of wild animals was uncovered as a result of intelligence gathering and surveillance by the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers and the police under the 'Bersepadu Khazanah' op.
Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said the raid was carried out at about 3pm yesterday with the assistance of a 10-man police team.
He said a local man in his 60s was detained on suspicion of being the premises owner.
"Further checks unearthed seven elephant tusks believed to have been smuggled into the country.
"We also found a cane suspected of being made from the leg bones of a deer.
"Also found were hundreds of porcupine thorns that were tied up, deer horns, plastic bags filled with the heads of anteaters and crocodile organs," said Kadir.
Kadir said they had found five pieces of tiger skin and fur, including 71 teeth and wild animal claws, also suspected to be from tigers.
All the seized wildlife body parts and items were estimated to be worth more than RM400,000.
He said the operation had disrupted the illegal sales and purchases of wildlife body parts, either online or via social media, adding that the case was being investigated under Section 68 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 (Amendment 2022) [Act 1646].
