Malaysian Woman Arrested for Housing Honey Bear, Leopard in Condo

A Malaysian woman was arrested in Kuala Lumpur for housing a baby honey bear, a leopard cat, and a slow loris primate in her condo. Authorities were tipped off about the 25 year-old woman housing the bevy of endangered species in her high-rise condominium leading them to raid the condo and retrieve the animals.

Worth hundreds of dollars each on the black market, the animals were apparently kept as pets judging from the slow loris being housed in a cage complete with swings.

Following the raid, authorities determined the animals were purchased from indigenous tribes in southern Negeri Sembilan state some three months ago. The unnamed woman housing the critters was released on bail claiming her male cousin to be the real owner of the animals; authorities have yet to locate the man. Both the woman and her cousin could be charged for keeping endangered wildlife without a permit, such charges could mean up to two years imprisonment and fines for each animal.

The animals would fetch some $1,765 USD on the black market: the honey bear being worth about $1,471 while the slow loris and leopard cat are worth around $147. Authorities intend to get a court order to either send the animals to a zoo or have them released back into the wild.