Malaysian wildlife authorities have seized one of the world's most endangered cockatoos and a leopard cat along with 34 other protected animals in a raid in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
The raid, carried out by the Wildlife Crime Unit on Wednesday, netted a lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo, a palm cockatoo, a leopard cat, several bulbul songbirds, a green iguana and an albino ball python among other species.
State media released details of the seizure over the weekend, reporting the animals were found in separate cages and tanks in the storeroom and bedroom of a Kuala Lumpur home from where a couple were operating a business.
It said the couple had been arrested and were helping in investigations. The wildlife department could not be reached for comment.
Wildlife trade watchdog TRAFFIC said the lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo is "one of the most endangered cockatoos in the world", with the palm cockatoo and leopard cat also listed under the UN's endangered species convention.
"The discovery of such a menagerie of threatened and endangered wildlife in a single premise is extremely worrying," TRAFFIC senior programme officer Kanitha Krishnasamy told AFP.
"We urge the (wildlife) department to look into how these animals were acquired and brought into the country," she said.
Under Malaysian law, anyone found guilty of keeping or dealing in endangered wildlife without a permit can be fined 100,000 ringgit (32,100 dollars) for each animal found, and be jailed for up to seven years.
The lesser sulphur-crested cockatoo is found in Indonesia while the palm cockatoo can be found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and northern Australia.
Leopard cats can be found in 21 Asian countries, from Indonesia to southern China, but activists say the cats are hunted heavily for their fur.
Despite efforts by Southeast Asian authorities to crack down on smuggling of endangered species, the trade remains rampant in the region to feed demand for animal pelts and traditional medicine, activists say.
Malaysian authorities on Friday seized all the animals of wildlife trader Anson Wong, including two tigers and a crocodile, after revoking his animal permits following his conviction on charges of trying to smuggle 95 endangered boa constrictors to Indonesia.
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