Seven year sentence
A seven year sentence was handed down in Malaysia after three men were caught with the carcass of a Malayan tigress hidden in a car boot. Wildlife officers intercepted the vehicle at a petrol station in Johor on September 16 and found the dead animal.
The accused—Md Shaheezam Md Salim, 49, and brothers Nazerin Tomiran, 47, and Mohamad Nazrol, 28—pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court at Kota Tinggi. Judge Haydar Faridzal Abu Hasan imposed seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of RM250,000 (about US$76,400). All three claimed health issues while begging for leniency, but the plea did not erase the crime.
Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 lists the Malayan tiger as fully protected, with penalties reaching 15 years and higher fines. Yet with fewer than 150 Malayan tigers left in the wild, the question lingers: is a seven year sentence truly enough? Every conviction matters, but only firm enforcement and stronger deterrence can halt tiger poaching before extinction becomes final.
The Seven year sentence article:
Based on Straits Times, Malaysia.
Photo via The Star/Asia News Network.
