LANGKAWI: Police believe that insiders were responsible for the poisoning of hundreds of fishes at the Langkawi Underwater World.
The owners have offered a RM10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the culprits.
"It was well planned. We suspect two or more people are involved," said Langkawi OCPD Supt Mohd Ali Jamaludin, adding that the crime had affected Langkawi's highly-valued tourism product.
About 600 fishes, worth hundreds of thousands of ringgit were found dead in two large tanks and five smaller ones at the old wing of UWL on Monday.
Among the valuable fish that died were sharks including the white tip, black tip, leopard and nurse, and a variety of stingrays including the rare cownose ray.
Supt Mohd Ali said the culprits knew the locations of inlets to the aquarium where the poisonous chemicals could be pumped.
"They also know how long it will take for the poison to take effect on the fish.
"They probably pumped the poison at about 6pm, just before closing time.
"The fish started dying en mass at about 6.40pm just as the lights were switched off," Supt Mohd Ali said yesterday.
He said the chemical used had a strong smell similar to petroleum, adding that the police had taken water and carcass samples for analysis. The results will be known within a week.
The case is being investigated under Section 429 of the Penal Code for treason. If found guilty, the offender is liable to a minimum fine of RM25,000 and or jailed up to five years.
Most of the carcasses were buried in a mass grave at UWL yesterday. The bigger fishes, such as sharks, stingray and grouper, have been stored in refrigerators with a view to preserving them later.
UWL senior curator Tan Ean Kok said the water in the tank could not be released until the type of contaminant was ascertained.
The death of the fishes had Malik Azmin distressed.
"My baby is gone now," said the grim-looking supervisor, referring to the 12-year-old nurse shark he had cared for since it was just a fry in the giant tank.
At the time it died, the fish - which Malik fondly called 'Baby Nurse' had grown to a length of about two metres and weighed 300kg.
It was the biggest fish at the UWL. Its mother, which weighed 500kg, died many years ago, said Malik, who has worked there as a diver over the past 11 years.
Malik said a turtle survived, as it managed to float to the surface.
