Source : The Star, Malaysia, 17 Dec '04
By : Hilary Chiew
  

	RARE CREATURE: A Bird of Paradise being kept in an enclosure at the department's headquarters in Cheras after 20 such birds were seized last month from a suspected collector.

Enforcement officers raided the premises and seized the birds from a suspected collector who did not have documents such as licences and import permits.

The department has prohibited the import of all wild birds since the outbreak of the avian flu. This could have further fuelled the smuggling of exotic birds for dealers and collectors.

About 100 hill mynahs, smuggled via Singapore from another neighbouring country, were confiscated from a bird trader in Johor Baru last month.

Found only in Papua New Guinea, Irian Jaya in Indonesia and northern Australia, the Bird of Paradise – priced for its colourful plumage – is highly sought after by specialist collectors.

Department director of enforcement Misliah Mohd Bashir, when queried about the latest clampdown, was tight-lip but said that the matter was “under investigation.”

“My officers are still investigating the case,” she said on Wednesday.

Asked when the offender would be charged in court, Misliah said any prosecution would depend on the outcome of the investigation.

She said investigators were “looking for the owner” but the caretaker of the premise had not been co-operative.

Sources said there were 20 of the highly-priced birds but about five had died.

However, only five Birds of Paradise were seen in two separate enclosures as of last week.

Department Director-General Datuk Musa Nordin declined to comment on the whereabouts of the other birds.