A tourist resort in Malaysia is facing penalties after authorities discovered it was serving meat of a protected pangolin species marketed to guests as an “exotic” dining experience.

The raidwas carried out as part of a coordinated enforcement sweep called “Ops Khazanah” – an operation against wildlife crimes in the eastern state of Sabah.

Acting on intelligence that protected species were being prepared for tourists, officers stormed the resort and uncovered a live Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), along with pots of pangolin cooked in herbal soup and several other dishes suspected of containing meat from protected wildlife.

Three individuals were detained to assist investigations under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, said Sabah wildlife department director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakr.

The Sunda pangolin is listed as a Schedule I species under Sabah law and is classified as totally protected, meaning no licences or permits are issued for its possession, storage, sale or preparation as food – including by tourism operators.

Globally, pangolins are considered the world’s most trafficked mammals and are classified as critically endangered.

“Over a million pangolins worldwide are estimated to have been poached from the wild since 2000, and they are predicted to decline by an additional 80 per cent within the next two decades if they are not protected,” according to a conservation group called Global Conservation.

The scales of pangolin are trafficked for use in traditional remedies claimed to treat ailments ranging from acne to cancer, while their meat is prized as a high-end delicacy in parts of Southeast Asia and China, fuelling a lucrative illegal trade.

Under the state law, those convicted face fines of between 50,000 and 250,000 ringgit (about $12,800 to $64,200) and prison terms ranging from one to five years.

Authorities emphasised that the legislation is applied strictly to any individual or business found handling protected wildlife.

Officials warned that serving endangered species not only breaches conservation laws but also harms Sabah’s reputation as a sustainable ecotourism destination.

Under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment, all hunting of the Sunda pangolin in the state was banned in 2018 – closing a previous loophole that had allowed the animal to be hunted under permit.

The Sabah wildlife department said such activities undermine broader environmental protection efforts and pledged to step up patrols and enforcement against tourism operators involved 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 would take strict action against perpetrators,” Mr Soffian said, according to The Star.

“We are stepping up patrols and enforcement to protect our wildlife in Sabah,” he added.