“Ask the government” (Anson Wong)
The quote above was from Anson Wong (an infamous Malaysian Wildlife Trafficker) when asked if he was still involved in wildlife trade. For those of you who don’t know who he is, I would strongly recommend you watch the video below which will give you the low down (and I mean low!).
Malaysia’s wildlife is under threat from a number of sources, but a very immediate problem comes in the form of poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife – this is big business indeed and the enormous amounts of easy money that can made are too much of a temptation for many.
There will always be those who flaunt the law if they can get away with, there will always be the Anson Wongs of this world, the drug traffickers, the arms smugglers, even people who will trade humans beings themselves. It may be naive to think we can rid ourselves of such criminals, however it is right to be concerned when criminals operate with impunity, seemingly unconcerned by the threat of punishment.
The wildlife trade is exactly that – animals are shipped to the US, Europe, Middle East etc to meet the demand for exotic pets. Those in the West who buy these animals are equally responsible for the problem, so too are the uneducated people in China who think tiger bones will give them a hard on and are too ignorant to use Viagra.
If we could stamp out the demand for exotic pets or dodgy, traditional medicines (through education and by making it a socially embarrassing thing to do) then the poaching would stop too. This is the reason that shark fin soup (a traditional dish for Chinese weddings) is becoming less and less evident in Malaysia – young couples to be married are only too aware of the fact that this is becoming socially unacceptable amongst their peer group. I have been to a number of weddings where myself and others simply refuse to eat the dish – which is then sent away untouched – an embarrassing moment for everyone.
What I find strange about the poaching problem here is how do the poachers get away with it? Moving from the city to a rural area I was quickly struck by how little privacy there really is. Everyone seems to know everyone else’s business. This is not something unique to the kampongs in Malaysia and will be just as familiar to those living in small rural villages in the UK.
Put yourself in the shoes of someone trying to capture wildlife for the illegal trade: you go off to collect some endangered animal from the forest, trying to do so this without any nosey locals spotting you, then you have to transport the animal and cage out of the forest, put it in a vehicle that you’ve left parked somewhere, store the animals in your backyard until it’s ready to be shipped, take it to an airport, get it though customs (both departure and arrival) and finally you get paid. How many people along the way would have guessed, or known, or been complicit in your nefarious activities? How of earth do these people get away with it?…it’s quite a feat!
Here’s a thought: what if a reward were offered for information leading to the successful prosecution of poachers? Do you think this would solve the problem? Would information come flooding in? Would it be acted on? – or has everyone simply given up hope? Malaysia’s legislation against these illegal wildlife activities should strike fear into the heart of any would be poacher and yet it continues. Legislation is one thing, enforcement is another and criminals are always keenly aware of the distinction.
And what do you think Anson Wong meant when he said “Ask the government” – I find myself slightly puzzled by this statement, what on earth was he getting at?
…hmmm.
Hello Paul,
For once, this is not a pleasant subject, but surely a necessary one.
There’s the same problem in Africa.
Plus, you can add rich people paying for the right to shoot and kill for endangered species.
The key problem is that nobody cares. Or, let’s say it otherwise, those who care won’t say it.
For imaging purpose only, let’s say:
On 1000 people:,
1 is poacher,
20 are from time to time consumers,
40 could give intelligence about a poacher, 40 could legally stop the poaching (eg: police, customs who encounter a caged tiger in a cargo)
50 don’t think it’s that big of a deal
900 think it’s really not cool. but that’ it, they are not paid to rise attention on this problem.
5 try to do something (trying to give a little attention on the problem, discourage poachers, acting for this cause etc…)
This is not really optimistic, but I think it’s fairly representative, I mean, there should be quite some people involved; and if you take out as any gears and screws as you can in a otor, the car will ride less longer.
Great tip for the shark fins, I didn’t know people doing that!
Regards.
Hi Wawa,
Thanks, as always, for the comment and you’re right…it is a bit of a depressing topic. I think a lot of people do care about what is happening to the environment and wildlife but feel powerless to do anything about it. Their view is that the government is there to sort this sort of thing out (that it was what governments are meant to do) – that is the way it should be – and it’s hard for an individual to do anything about it alone.
I think the best thing we can all do is use the internet and social media to try and raise the issue and educate those around us who still persist in eating exotic/endangered animals or using tiger bone medicines and persuade them to change their ways. Also, if you see any illegal trade/poaching in wildlife then call the wildlife crime hotline and report it.
Cheers!
Paul
Anyone who is concerned about wildlife would know Anson Wong. I have the book written on him , ” the lizard king” and it seems even after his conviction, he’s back in business. I’m ashamed that he’s a fellow Penangite , plus his Bukit Jumbul Reptile Farm is just about a kilometer away from where I stay. The reptile farm has since closed down , but I remember that they kept a tiger there many months after it closed down. I remember going into the abandoned compound to see the tiger alone in it’s huge cage. A caretaker would come and feed every day.
This is one of the issues which always crops up , just like the cameron Highlands issues. it has been in the media countless of times, but gets swept under the carpet once the hooha has died. so is the power of corruption
Hi Nadir,
Many thanks for the comment and it was great to finally meet you the other week…sorry it was so rushed.
Interesting comparison you make with the situation in Cameron Highlands… I first went there 12 years ago and the most recent time I went back I could hardly recognise the place. Last week I read that the government has finally woken up to the problem of illegal land clearing and has set up a committee to look into it….but the question is why did it take so long before this was done? Anyone who visited Cameron Highlands in the last decade could see immediately that it was headed on a path that was going to have a massive negative impact on the environment. I fear that the problem with wildlife – both the illegal trade and reduction in habitat – will face the same inertia …that by the time something is done to seriously address the issue it will be too late.
Perhaps social media is the answer…that if enough awareness of these issues is generated amongst public they will demand action from a government that would otherwise be slow, or for whatever reason reluctant, to react?
Cheers!
Paul
hi Paul,
Yes, it was great to finally meet up! we need to go camping someday for sure. it’ll happen , just not sure when haha
Abit off topic, but the Cameron highlands issue has been ongoing for many many many years, and I am sure it has appeared not less than a dozen times in the newspapers. Illegal farming , water supply shortage , siltation , pesticide pollution , raising temperature and many more. The previous episode even revealed that the District Officer acknowledged that there is hankypanky going on, but what has that led to?
The first time I was in Cameron highlands was probably back in the late 90’s , when they were constructing the new cameron – gua musang highway. it was red earth as far as the eye can see. yes, it has gotten worse now, even as you go off the tourist areas, you see black pvc pipes in EVERY river ( stealing water to irrigate their farms ) . The Orang asli too have a hard time as their water source is contaminated by pesticides and siltation. and the Govt instead of tackling the source of the problem, brings in piped water, so it looks good in their books and gets to spend money.
You don’t know how bad cameron is, untill you check out the imagery from Google earth.
Sorry for all the ranting, somehow Cameron Highlands holds a special place in my heart, but it’s sad to see where it is heading now.
ok, keep up the good work Paul!
Hi Nadir,
Many thanks for the comment and interesting background on Cameron Highlands – it is all a bit depressing. The problem with these black PVC pipes is everywhere these days. Even here, where I live, the residents (and owners) insist on running these pipes into the streams to get a free source of water and it drives me nuts. These are not people who are short of money – they simply can’t resist the temptation of something for nothing and don’t give a thought to the impact of their actions further down stream.
If you go into Janda Baik or Bukit Tinggi the rivers seem to have more tubes of black PVC piping that water! Talking to older residents they tell me how the water level is not a tenth of what it used to be and rivers that had to be swum across can now be waded through and only reach your ankles.
I also visited someone near here who had about 40 acres of land and a river running through it. I was surprised to see that it too was full of these horrible f**king pipes and asked him why he allowed it. His answer surprised me as he told me that it is against the law to remove the pipes even if they run through your land!!! Crazy!
I have some sympathy for poor people who are forced to use this sort of water syphoning technique but I have none at all for rich greedy landowners who do it simply because they are too penny pinching to pay for water like everyone else and think it is ok to just take it instead.
Anyway, we must try and get a camping trip organised for the new year – I’ll see if Keong is up for a trip too (I’m sure he is!)
Cheers!
Paul
What gives with the ” The uploader has not made this mideo available in your country. ” ?
Hi Jay,
Sorry the video won’t play in your country – it’s not my video but one done by 101 East so I suppose they must have put some restrictions on which territories it can play in. Perhaps, if you search Youtube with ‘Lizard King’ it’s been reposted somewhere else and will play in your country.
Cheers!
Paul
Nothing gets my blood boiling faster than pieces of shit like this guy. The world would be a better place without him and he should be fed to one of his tigers in a cage. The video is blocked for me too and I couldn’t find this one on YT but only a couple of short clips about him.
I am sure most of these government people are corrupt and make money off of the trade too.
Hi John,
Yes, I’m afraid he’s not the only one here in Malaysia who is prepared to exploit the wildlife for money. I’m sorry the video is blocked, I don’t know why, but it was from a news agency rather than one of my videos.
The sad thing is that the poachers and traders in wildlife are an immediate threat but far less serious than the destruction of habitat that is going on at a staggeringly fast speed thanks to the loggers. The animal life is being throated at all sides and really doesn’t stand much of a chance in the long term.
Corruption is a huge problem too wherever it rears its ugly head and, the sad thing in Malaysia is that most of the young people I meet are environmentally switched on however the older generation (who are in power) are far less enlightened and believe money is the answer to everything and worth selling your soul (or at least forests) for.
Hopefully it will change before it’s too late.
Cheers!
Paul