All district police chiefs in the country will be given until Sept 18 to ensure that their respective areas are free from illegal restaurants selling or serving exotic wildlife food, said Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador here today.

Besides action to be taken on illegal premises selling wildlife and flora, each district police chief will have to give a monthly report to Bukit Aman if any restaurant or illegal premises indulge in such activities.

“The directive was issued to help the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) combat rampant illegal poaching activities.

"I want our country to be free from activities of buying and selling exotic animal meat such as hedgehogs, pythons and crocodiles," he said at the Khazanah Integrated Operations press conference at Paya Indah Wetlands here today.

Abdul Hamid said police would be cooperating with Perhilitan on this matter.

"Don’t tell me with 300 to 500 (police) personnel in an area, the existence of restaurants and illegal premises selling exotic animals can’t be detected?," he asked.

Abdul Hamid said his team had received a report about a non-governmental organisation (NGO) being threatened for carrying out their work trying to conserve the increasingly endangered environment.

"The NGO only offers its services to conserve the flora and fauna but instead its safety is threatened by poachers.

"The poachers who threatened the NGO are locals and we will take stern action against those who try to threaten NGOs, officers or government enforcement officers who carry out their tasks of conserving the flora and fauna," he added.

-- BERNAMA