In Malaysia, it's sadly not that difficult to purchase wildlife as pets, especially through online channels. But what's spurring Malaysians to want to own and then buy these exotic pets, and are there enough laws to prevent the often illegal trade of these wild species of animals? We speak to journalists Hannan Azmir and Lee Kwai Han, who recently wrote two articles on the illegal trade of wildlife online, for local environmental journalism portal, Macaranga. We also speak to Dr Nor Arlina Amirah Ahmad Ghani from Justice for Wildlife Malaysia, a non-profit research enterprise entity who aims to protect and conserve wildlife in Malaysia through legal means, and how they are promoting legal literacy among wildlife conservation fraternities.

Image credit: Macaranga (Hannan Azmir)