KOTA KINABALU: A resort offering pangolin soup and meat for an "exquisite" experience for tourists is going to pay expensively after authorities swooped in on their illegal activities. In an integrated crackdown dubbed Ops Khazanah on Feb 23, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) officials together with the police had raided a resort in Semporna district, after getting information of the operators storing and serving the protected species. “During the raid, a live pangolin as well as several pots containing cooked pangolin in herbal soup were found,” SWD director Soffian Abu Bakar said in a statement, Tuesday (Feb 24). Three individuals were also arrested to facilitate probes under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, he said. “We are stepping up patrols and enforcement to protect our wildlife in Sabah,” he added.

Source: The Star February 24, 2026 07:33 UTC