By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-09 06:16:56 | Updated at 2026-06-09 10:11:05
3 hours ago
The Malaysian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle six gibbons, a type of small apes, through Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
The incident came to light after the airport’s aviation security team detected a suspicious image on the scanner during a routine baggage screening process, KLIA said in a Facebook post on June 8.
Photos posted by KLIA show the acrobatic mammal, endemic to the dense forests of southern Asia, crammed into a bag.
Another image shows an airport security officer holding a gibbon about the size of a small teddy bear.
Gibbons are among the most threatened families of primates – five species are considered critically endangered, 14 endangered and one vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of threatened species.
KLIA did not state in its post if the passenger attempting to smuggle the gibbons was arrested or where the person was flying to.
The airport said its security team, working alongside the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and airline partners, located the passenger and intercepted the smuggling attempt before the aircraft departed.
“From the sharp eyes at the scanner to the seamless coordination on the tarmac, this rescue proves that a united airport community can truly make a difference in the global fight against illegal wildlife trafficking,” KLIA stated in the post.
Economic hardship and growing online sales of wildlife through social media platforms are among key factors that have led to an increase in the smuggling of exotic animals in Malaysia, say experts.
As a result, the country has inadvertently been used as a transit point.
Malaysia’s Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said in 2025 that the smuggling of exotic wildlife to India is driven by several factors, such as demand in certain regions in India where wildlife is often kept as pets.
He added that primates such as the siamang, white-handed gibbon and agile gibbon, and birds such as the Bali myna are also popular among smugglers.
Malaysian news outlet New Straits Times reported in May that a woman was arrested at KLIA for smuggling four siamang gibbons worth RM120,000 (S$38,000).
