Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia’s premier national park, is celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity centered around a 130-million-year-old tropical rainforest that’s believed to be the world’s oldest. Within it, a remarkable variety of plants and animals take shelter. However, this wealth of wildlife has also made it a target for traffickers, disrupting the park’s delicate ecosystem.
A recent analysis by wildlife trade monitoring group TRAFFIC revealed that at least 28 seizure incidents involving wild animals occurred within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of Taman Negara between 2019 and 2024. TRAFFIC data showed that the most-seized parts by volume were from sun bears (Helarctos malayanus), leopards (Panthera pardus) and pangolins (Manis javanica) — species classified as threatened on the IUCN Red List and banned for commercial trade.
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