KK & Sabah News-Flash

Sabah Plantations Loses Due to Elephants

Oil palm plantations in Sabah are losing large amounts of money due to damaged crops when elephants raid the area, according to the Sabah Wildlife Department.  Director Augustine Tuuga said that the damage hit small and large plantations alike, with the smallholders suffering more as they sometimes lose up to six hectares in a night.

Elephants damage the oil palm trees and sometimes eat the shoots.  Because of these, companies incur losses, with the Sabah Softwood Bhd reporting a loss of RM3 million a few years ago.

There is an estimated 2,000 Borneo pygmy elephants in Sabah.  Although this number is not critical, Tuuga is closely monitoring their survival rates as poaching still continues.  He admitted that most of the poachers are locals who are after the elephants’ tusks.  These tusks are found overseas but most of these are sold to the Timorese, having a custom of offering tusks as dowries.

Most of the department’s ground staff were in Kg Gambaron in Telupid dealing with the issue on elephants’ raids and investigations on the recent death of an elephant found floating in Kinabatangan River were temporarily postponed.

Roads Cleared as Floods Subside

The Kota-Kinabalu-Tambunan road is now accessible to vehicles after it was cleared of debris Saturday by contractors from the Public Works Department.  The road was cut-off by a landslide the day before which disrupted electric power supply to some villages

A flash flood also occurred on Friday that left about 100 students stranded.  These students were able to go home after midnight when the waters subsided.  The flash flood was due to heavy rains upstream and flowed over from the Babagon River.

Amendment of Sabah Wildlife Enactment Proposed

The amendment of the Sabah Wildlife Enactment is being proposed to step up efforts in the protection of all endangered animals in the light of the recent killings of elephants that proves that poachers are still active.  In an interview with reporters after the closing ceremony of a pre-school activity at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Saturday, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said that the proposal is still under discussion by the State Government.

The present law states that it is the prosecution’s burden to prove that the accused in wildlife cases committed the crime.  In the amendment, the burden will be shifted to the accused who will now prove that he is innocent.  This is very much applicable to violations that happen in plantations and no one will come forward as witnesses.

Masidi also said that during a meeting with the Wildlife Department, ideas and proposals were presented.  One of these was the close coordination of the department with Sabah Parks and the Forestry Department.  These three departments were chosen specifically because they are responsible for protecting the animals.

Masidi called on the public and other non-governmental organizations (NGO) to be active and alert in informing the government should they have knowledge of illegal activities.  Referring to the recent killings of elephants, he said that the Wildlife Department has suggested to give plantation owners a responsibility in protecting wildlife.