Rarely seen Borneo wild cat being offered for sale

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The wild cat being offered for sale for RM680 at a handicraft stall at Kota Belud-Kota Marudu road.

KOTA KINABALU: A rarely seen live Borneo wild cat was found being offered for sale for RM680 along with about a dozen of wild parrots at a roadside handicraft stall at Kota Belud-Kota Marudu road.

A member of the public reported seeing the wild cat at a handcraft stall at about kilometre 10 of the Kota Belud-Kota Marudu road.

The man was heading for Kota Marudu with his friends on Monday afternoon when they decided to make a stop at the handicraft stalls as he wanted to buy a bamboo basket.

As he came near the stalls, he found nearly a dozen of wild parrots were put up for sale at a stall. After a brief conversation with the stall owner, the man was asked if he wanted to buy a wild cat for RM680.

He was then shown what he believed was a Borneo wild cat, locked in a cage by the stall owner. As an animal lover, the man asked the seller if he was aware whether the wild cat was a protected species and if it could be sold legally. When he could get a response, the man then requested to take a picture of the wild cat and subsequently left.

The man hoped that the Sabah Wildlife Department would look into the matter and stop wildlife, especially endangered species, from being hunted to prevent extinction.