PETALING JAYA: An animal rights group is offering a reward of a luxury hotel stay for anyone with information about those responsible for death by poisoning of three female elephants in Kluang, Johor.
The reward, offered by Animal Action Society Association (AAT from its Malay initials), comprises RM2,000 in spending money and a three-night stay at a deluxe hotel in Putrajaya.
In a viral poster sighted by FMT, AAT said the reward is for information and sufficient evidence for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) to trace, arrest and charge the suspects in court.
AAT president Sharul Nizam Abdul Rahim, also known as “Abang Kucing” in wildlife activism, told FMT that only those with sufficient evidence for suspects to be charged in court will be rewarded.
“Even if there are two informants we will not hesitate to reward them both. But if there are more than two, the reward will be shared equally.”
Three female elephants were reportedly poisoned to death near a palm oil plantation in Kluang, Johor, last week.
Local police in Johor found the carcasses and alerted wildlife officers on Tuesday, according to the director-general of wildlife and national parks, Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim.
The elephants were believed to be from a herd of 30 elephants from a nearby forest reserve.
Liver and kidney samples from the elephants were being examined to determine the type of poison used, Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar was reported as saying.
Abang Kucing said the group had received already six calls asking for more information. “This is a real contest,” he confirmed.
He said the main reason for the contest was to assist Perhilitan, whom he argued faced a shortage of dedicated staff for consistent investigations.
“On the other hand, the police focuses more on criminal cases under the Penal Code. Therefore, we at AAT took the initiative to advocate for citizen investigations. We have only one goal, for the law (the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010) – to be enforced.”
AAT, registered in February 2013, started off as a body looking after stray cats. It then moved on to stray dogs, and is now looking to expand their efforts to include wild animals.
He added that he had informed Perhilitan director Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim about the contest.