Malaysian Resort Owners Face Jail, Heavy Fines for Serving Protected ‘Exotic’ Species

Authorities in Malaysia have moved to prosecute the owners of a tourist resort after discovering it was serving meat from a protected pangolin species to guests, marketed as an “exotic” dining experience.

The discovery was made during a coordinated wildlife enforcement operation known as “Ops Khazanah” in the eastern state of Sabah, which targets wildlife crimes. Acting on intelligence reports, officers raided the resort and found a live Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), as well as pots of pangolin meat cooked in herbal soup and other dishes suspected to contain meat from protected wildlife.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakr said three individuals were detained to assist investigations under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

The Sunda pangolin is classified as a Schedule I species under Sabah law and is fully protected, meaning no licences or permits are issued for its possession, storage, sale or preparation as food — including by tourism operators. Globally, pangolins are regarded as the world’s most trafficked mammals and are listed as critically endangered.

Conservation groups estimate that more than one million pangolins have been poached worldwide since 2000, driven by demand for their scales in traditional remedies and for their meat, which is considered a luxury delicacy in parts of Southeast Asia and China.

Under state law, anyone convicted of handling protected wildlife faces fines of between 50,000 and 250,000 ringgit (approximately $12,800 to $64,200) and prison sentences ranging from one to five years.

Authorities warned that serving endangered species not only violates conservation laws but also damages Sabah’s reputation as a sustainable ecotourism destination. Officials said enforcement efforts will be intensified to prevent tourism operators from engaging in wildlife crimes.

“We are taking this matter, as well as any incidents of preparing protected species as exotic meals for tourists, very seriously and will take strict action against perpetrators,” Soffian said, adding that patrols and enforcement operations across Sabah would be stepped up.