PADANG BESAR: Padang Besar Customs Department found 248 endangered animals worth about RM70,000 during checks on an express train from Bangkok, Thailand this morning.
Its director Kamarudin Jaafar said the exotic animals; 181 snakes of various species, six sugar gliders, 10 Sulcata tortoises, 29 Dhab lizards, two iguanas, 10 squirrels and 11 rabbits, were kept inside four bags on separate coaches of the train.
Two of the bags were found in the cargo coach while another two were found in one of the toilets during an inspection at the Padang Besar train station near the border at 9am.
He said the team had earlier detected some movement and animal-like images while using the scanning devices.
“No permit or import licences were found near the bags and the department is looking for the individual or group responsible for transporting these endangered animals into the country.
“The case will be handed over to the state Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) for further investigation under Customs Act 1967 and Wildlife Conservation Act 2010,” he said.
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