New Wildlife Act likely to be in force year end

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PUTRAJAYA: The Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which imposes enhanced penalties for poaching and other crimes involving protected wildlife, is expected to be enforced at the end of this year, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said yesterday.The bill was tabled for first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday and would go through the second reading at the June session of the house, he told reporters after launching the campaign to plant 26 million trees by 2014, here.

The Act will replace the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The bill, among other things, proposes to impose a fine of up to RM100,000 or a jail term of up to five years, or both, for two offences, which are the hunting or keeping of female protected wildlife without a licence or hunting or keeping protected young wildlife without a licence.

It also proposes the imposition of a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both, on anyone who hunts or keeps protected wildlife without a licence or keeps any part of such an animal illegally.

In his speech at the event, Uggah said the government had come up with the National Tiger Conservation Action Plan to double the tiger population in the country to 1,000 by 2020.

He said this was an initiative for planned conservation of the country’s biodiversity, and added that the government was striving to assimilate the common vision on biodiversity into national development and planning. — Bernama