The rescued monkey was kept in a small cage by its captor when SFC personnel conducted the raid.
MIRI: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s (SFC) enforcement team has successfully rescued a monkey kept captive here after a tip-off from concerned citizens.
The monkey that was captured by a resident was locked up in a small cage inside a house in a residential estate in the city.
The raid was conducted after SFC enforcement officers tracked the owner to his house, where it was discovered that the man had illegally set traps to capture the protected animal.
A search of the house compound found the monkey locked up in poor conditions within a small, rusty cage.
The monkey was subsequently rescued by SFC personnel and will be sent to a wildlife sanctuary for eventual release into the wild.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamas Aton thanked the public for the information leading to the rescue of the protected animal.
“This latest case shows that the public can play a pivotal role in helping us curb wildlife abuse. It is good that we are getting increasing help from the public in our efforts to stop the capture, hunting, abuse and slaughter of wildlife in the state.”
He stressed that SFC was serious in wanting to put an end to these actions through strict enforcement and education campaigns.
Members of the public who have information on wildlife abuse can call the following SFC hotlines: Kuching (019-8859996, 016-8565564), Sibu (019-8190140, 019-8894474), Bintulu (019-8223449, 019-8332737) and Miri (019-8224566, 019-8290994).