RARE SPECIES OF MAMMALS IN SABAH UNDER THREAT OF EXTINCTION

RARE SPECIES OF MAMMALS IN SABAH UNDER THREAT OF EXTINCTION

KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), May 24 (Bernama) -- Rare species of mammals in the
east Malaysian state of Sabah are under threat of extinction, State Minister of
Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun said Monday.

He named the Sumatran rhinoceros, the elephant, the Bornean orangutan, the
sun bear and the proboscis monkey as some of these animals.

Only around 30 to 40 of the Sumatran rhinoceros, considered one of the
world's rarest mammals, were probably left in fragmented populations in the
forests of Sabah, he said in his speech at the International Palm Oil
Sustainability Conference, here.

The text of his speech was delivered by State Assistant Minister of Tourism,
Culture and Environment Datuk Ellron Angin.

"In some cases, there is probably only one rhino in a whole forest reserve.
If urgent steps are not taken to rescue and consolidate these fragmented
populations, our generation may be the last one to see wild rhinos alive in
Sabah," Masidi said.

Masidi said the number of elephants, the smallest of all Asian elephants and
one of the rarest of their sub-species with a total population of around 1,500
to 2,000, was also dwindling.

He said they faced heavy conflicts with humans, being in groups in pocketed
areas, mostly near the newly-opened estates, and the fragmentation of their
habitat due to forest conversion further compounded their problems.

"This is crucial in cases where animals are confined to pockets and habitat
is no longer available and sources of food are limited or no longer suitable,"
he said.

Masidi said the charismatic and endemic Bornean orangutan (pongo pygmaeus
morio), though numbering around 11,000, was down by an astounding 90 per cent of
the population in less than 200 years.

"Again the major culprit of that reduction is loss and fragmentation of
habitat. Rescue and translocation of the species has become an urgent matter to
maintain the genetic flow among isolated populations, thus preventing inbreeding
and further localised extinction of this great ape," he said.

Masidi said many villagers were found to be capturing and keeping the sun
bear while there had been recent cases of the proboscis monkeys moving into
urban areas and being killed in road accidents.

He also said that there were a myriad other wildlife species which were
brought to the department with injuries that needed professional veterinary
medical care.

Masidi said that from the initial orangutan colloquium, jointly organised by
Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), the Sabah Wildlife Department and the Borneo
Conservation Trust in November last year, efforts were initiated which had
culminated in the setting up of Malaysia's dedicated Wildlife Rescue Unit.

He said the unit would be responsible for undertaking wildlife rescue and
translocation operations throughout the state of Sabah.
-- BERNAMA


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