A 28-year-old individual and animal rights group Pertubuhan Hak Asasi Hidupan Liar Malaysia (Hidup) have filed a suit against the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah over the culling of dusky leaf monkeys two months ago.
The case was filed in the Seremban High Court over the allegation that Perhilitan officers had killed 20 of the endangered monkeys at Taman Raja Zainal, Port Dickson on May 19.
Animal rights lawyer Rajesh Nagaran claimed that previous political negotiations and petitions filed by animal rights and wildlife rights advocates proved ineffective in the country.
He added that with the help of animal rights lawyers, Hidup is now seeking recourse from the judiciary in bringing forth cases of wildlife abuse.
“I believe (this) will (work) as once you have a declaration from a High Court, that (ruling) is the law and you cannot simply break the law because it is from the High Court. It has clarified the situation,” Rajesvaran said during a virtual press conference today.
According to animal rights lawyer Sachpreetraj Sohanpal, the case represents a historical first where animal rights activists have taken forestry authorities to court over wildlife issues.
The virtual presser featured the two plaintiffs, restaurant owner Nurul Azreen Sultan and Hidup, and four lawyers from Lawyers for Animal Rights.
On May 19, Azreen - who is an eyewitness to the incident - claimed that around 10am, she heard a loud bang outside her house.
Not long after the noise first started, a neighbour approached her, saying that there were people who were opening fire at the monkeys not far from her house.
She claimed, however, that the Perhilitan officers fled once she arrived at the site of the cull.
When her father later contacted Perhilitan over the incident, they were told that Perhilitan was acting on a public complaint made about a teacher who was allegedly attacked by a dusky leaf monkey.
However, this was disputed by Azreen who claimed that the monkeys had been co-existing with the residents peacefully and that the Port Dickson Hospital and the local clinic did not report any recent cases similar to what was described by Perhilitan.
Perhilitan has since denied accusations that it killed 20 of the endangered animals and clarified that the department had only killed seven monkeys that had been disruptive in the area.
They also added that none of the dusky leaf monkeys killed were juveniles.
Hidup representative Sharifah Sofia claimed that there were alternative solutions to solving the issue of the “problematic” monkeys - which includes tranquilising, translocation and rehabilitation.
Perhilitan previously said that it had considered all angles and had attempted to trap the monkeys unsuccessfully before the culling occurred.
The dusky leaf monkeys are protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 as endangered species, which provides for the protection and conservation of wildlife. - Mkini
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