Rare Bornean banteng falling victim to traps

Habitat loss: A banteng bull, with a female, and two calves, grazing in a forest reserve in Sabah. The animal is estimated to number fewer than 500 in the state.

KOTA KINABALU: The banteng, the wild cattle of Borneo, are not just being poached but increasingly turning up as bycatch in snares set for other animals, say conservation groups.

In a joint statement, the Sabah Wildlife Department and the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) said the population of the animal, estimated to number fewer than 500 in the state, was already facing fragmentation due to deforestation, infrastructure development and human activity.