SANDAKAN, April 18 --  A 38-year-old was fined RM48,000 after pleading guilty to a charge of possessing animals from protected species at the Sessions Court here on Thursday.

Hendry Rayner Endim, a plantation officer, pleaded guilty after the charge was read before Sessions Court Judge Roslinda Razali.

According to the charge sheet, the accused was found in possession of three carcasses of short-tailed pythons (blood pythons), one reticulated python, one carcass of a Malay civet, and two carcasses of common palm civets.

These animals are classified as protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

The offence was alleged to have been committed at about 2.10pm on May 24, 2025, along the main Paitan-Kanibongan ro...