The alarming rise in wildlife smuggled through Kuala Lumpur airports to India calls for more surveillance and joint investigations, writes wildlife trade expert Kanitha Krishnasamy.
IN MARCH, 4 gibbons found nowhere else in the world except Borneo were discovered in the luggage of passengers who flew into Chennai from Kuala Lumpur. For 2 of these Endangered Eastern Grey Gibbons, the rescue came too late – they had died by the time they were found.
This kind of smuggling from both terminals of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to various locations in India has been persistent, frequent, sometimes in large quantities and involving a wide variety of species.
(Feature image: From monkeys to tortoises, smugglers are using Malaysian and Indian airports to smuggle wildlife | Composite image of posts in TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Facebook)
In the last four months of 2024, an estimated 10,000 live tortoises and turtles, endangered primates such as Siamangs and Agile Gibbons, as well as bats, iguanas, and bearded dragons were seized at airports in India. This wildlife was all illicitly trafficked via flights departing Malaysia.
So, it is with great relief that that the minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) and Transport (MOT) have spoken on the issue.
NRES Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s acknowledged KLIA’s high risk for wildlife smuggling, while Transport Minister Anthony Loke recognised the issue’s severity. This highlights Malaysia’s awareness of vulnerabilities in monitoring and preventing wildlife smuggling through air travel.
A matter of urgency
But actions to address the problem must be fast-tracked if, as reported by local and Indian media, Malaysia continues to attract Indian travellers due to favourable tourism policies and increased flight connectivity.
This is not simply a wildlife conservation issue. It is also about the abuse of Malaysia’s airports and airlines for criminal activity. It is about compromised safety of airports and travellers when the smuggled wildlife is venomous or dangerous, and a public health concern as wildlife can harbour diseases.
Not least, it is about the country gaining an unsavoury reputation as an easy gateway for wildlife trafficking.
Slipped through: In February, Mumbai Airport Customs rescued 5 juvenile Siamang (left) which were flown in from Kuala Lumpur and the next month, Customs at Bengalaru Airport, intercepted 6 baby monkeys also from Malaysia (right). (Source: TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Facebook)
Malaysia has notched a few enforcement successes and TRAFFIC congratulates the authorities on their most recent busts involving 4,300 live baby Pig-nosed Turtles bound for Viet Nam in February and 5 Asian Koels headed to Indonesia 2 months later, the latter which resulted in a fine of MYR50,000 to the offender.
But for the most part the discoveries of incidences between Malaysia and India have been made at Indian airports after wildlife-filled bags slipped past checks in Malaysia.
Minister Nik Nazmi has pledged to intensify enforcement efforts, emphasizing multi-agency and internationally cooperative approaches to curbing wildlife crime.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced upgrades to KLIA’s luggage screening machines and instructed airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to enhance surveillance and screening processes.
Tackling crime
These are encouraging, but more is needed to put criminal networks using KLIA out of business. For an effort of this magnitude to work, approaches must be coordinated and involve government agencies and private companies working along the transportation chain.
Crucially, there must be more leadership from all parties that have a role in making airports safe for everyone. It needs a whole-of-government approach. And it needs a champion – an agency capable of gathering stakeholders, fostering dialogue, and driving long-term action and impact.
Buested: In January, Perhilitan seized 52 exotic animals in KLIA and arrested 1 suspect, while the next month, they seized 4,386 Pig-nosed Turtles in the same airport with the help of airport auviliary police; the turtles were bound for Viet Nam. (Source: TRAFFIC Southeast Asia Facebook)
There are many gaps enabling illegal wildlife trade across Malaysia’s borders. It was among challenges raised by the hundred law enforcement officers and transport sector players that TRAFFIC brought together last August to discuss wildlife trafficking at Malaysian land, sea and air borders.
What is key to combatting the problem, according to the 30 agencies and transport sector organisations at the Unite: Combatting Wildlife Trafficking at Malaysian Borders Roundtable?
They said: better intelligence-sharing mechanisms between enforcement agencies and with the transport sector, advanced scanning technology, cross-sectoral training programmes and collaboration, and more effectively holding traffickers legally and financially accountable.
Detection training
Another key takeaway, especially pertinent for a busy hub like KLIA, was the need for specialised training that would enable quick identification of suspicious baggage and passengers, preventing wildlife from being smuggled.
To boost detection, they would need to build capacity in identifying loopholes, understanding smuggling routes and methods, and knowing the red flags to watch out for.
In his opening address at the Unite Roundtable, NRES Deputy Minister Dato’ Sri Huang Tiong Sii warned that seizures alone could not be considered a complete success as it showed the extensive removal of wildlife from nature.
Agency collaboration
He too wanted to see more enforcement agency-transport sector collaboration. He cited Malaysia’s joint enforcement taskforce, Operasi Bersepadu Khazanah (OBK), as an example of what was possible when different parties collaborated to fight wildlife crime.
The OBK is a multi-agency enforcement taskforce led by the Royal Malaysian Police Force and Perhilitan and involves authorities in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. In 2022, the taskforce saw 23 successful raids, with seizures estimated at RM2.68 mil.
The Deputy Minister also called for serious attention to the problem of Malaysia’s ports and airports being used as a transit point in the illicit wildlife trade from Africa and India to East Asia.
Three steps to take
Three points are key based on TRAFFIC’s 30-year experience of researching wildlife crime and supporting wildlife crime fighting efforts in Southeast Asia.
Firstly, surveillance protocols at key transportation hubs need to be enhanced.
Secondly, training for all enforcers and airport and airline operators on the latest trafficking tactics is continuous rather than sporadic.
Finally, timely intelligence-sharing and joint investigations at the national and regional levels can ensure that smuggled wildlife does not take flight from Malaysia’s airports.
It is time to act decisively.
Kanitha Krishnasamy is Director of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
[Edited by SL Wong]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Macaranga.
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