Retiree sentenced to a day in jail for keeping protected wildlife as pets

KUALA LUMPUR: A 53-year-old retiree has been sentenced to a day in jail and a fine of RM130,000 after he pleaded guilty to seven charges of keeping protected wildlife without a special permit.

Wong Kek Choong pleaded guilty at the Sessions Court here on Friday (Sept 22) before judge Azrul Darus, who meted out the sentences.

In March, Wong was slapped with seven charges for keeping wildlife without a special permit, which is an offence under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

The protected wildlife he kept were a black pond turtle (geoclemys hamiltonii), a river terrapin (batagur affinis), and an African spurred tortoise (geochelone sulcata) among others.

Aside from these, the other protected animals kept by Wong were a leopard tortoise (stigmochelys pardalis), an Asian forest tortoise (manouria emys), a red-eared slider (trachemys scripta elegans) and a yellow-bellied slider (trachemys scripta scripta).

These are all protected wildlife species under the Second Schedule of the Wildlife Conservation Act.

On Friday, Wong pleaded guilty to two charges under Section 68(1)(a) of the Act, three charges under Section 60(1)(a) and two other charges under Section 117(1) of the same Act.

In mitigation, Wong’s counsel Alvin Tan Keng Yi from Daljit Singh Partnership, said his client did not harm the wildlife as he loved them as pets.

“The accused was keeping the tortoises as his hobby. He never hurt or tortured the animals; instead, he had been taking good care of them. He never starved the animals and even sunbathed them,” said Tan.

He said that the Act should be used to punish those who tortured animals, and not those who loved them.

Tan also said his client had severe osteoarthritis in his right knee and had been advised to go for an operation and added that he also supported his family.

“Since the cases started, he has been suffering mental distress, and he has sought psychological help. He is remorseful and took the incident as a great lesson for himself,” said Tan, adding that the accused has always cooperated with the authorities from the start of the investigation.

Tan asked for a minimal fine for the charges and only one day of jail for the offences with mandatory imprisonment.

Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) prosecuting officer Mohd Khairul Mubin Ab Satar prosecuted.