Captive breeding of endangered banteng needed amid constant threat of poaching

Two bull bantengs displaying along a river in one of the forest reserves in Sabah (courtesy: DGFC)

KOTA KINABALU: Captive breeding of Sabah's endangered Bornean banteng (wild buffaloes) is needed as the ever-present threat of poaching might wipe out the species altogether in the state, a scientific study finds.

The study on the poaching threat to banteng found that there was an "absolutely crucial" need to stop hunting of the species as there were only about 320 of them estimated left in the wild, based on 2017 population figures.

The study published in the journal Endangered Species Research was carried out by scientists and wildlife managers from the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), Cardiff University and Sabah Wildlife Department.

The study was focused on the population parameters of the banteng and scientists simulated the effect of different poaching rates on its survival.

Project leader Dr Penny Gardner said banteng were spread out over four areas based on connectivity.

"The four management units were North-East (the Paitan and Sugut Forest Reserves), West (Sipitang Forest Reserve), Central (Deramakot, Tangkulap, Malua, Kuamut and many other forest reserves), and South-East (Kulamba and Tabin Wildlife Reserves)," she said in a statement on Sunday (Aug 8).

"They all require active management to prevent further population decline and localised extinction,” she added.

Enforcement officers under Sabah Forest Department's PROTECT rangers checking on illegal hunting at routes near state forests reserves. (pix courtesy: Sabah Forestry Department).

DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said that even with a hunting rate of 1% of the population, banteng growth will cease in the smallest areas in the North-East and West management units.

“In the South-East and Central units, growth would cease if 2% and 4% of the banteng are hunted, respectively. Extinction is estimated at 21 to 39 years if 5% of the population os hunted every year, with the Central management unit going extinct last,” Goossens added.

Sabah Wildlife Department enforcement chief Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said its enforcement was boosted through Yayasan Sime Darby's funding for PROTECT, a boots-on-the-ground enforcement team under the Sabah Forestry Department.

An earlier Yayasan Sime Darby-funded study also saw the Sabah government approving its Bornean Banteng action plan in June 2019 while enforcement efforts received help from the US State Department through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs which funded SWD to set up intelligence and forensic units the same year.

"This funding definitely bolsters our efforts in fighting poaching and illegal trade, and overall will enable us to implement the action plans for the banteng as well as for other wildlife,” added Soffian.

SWD director Augustine Tuuga said the department was taking the study's findings seriously as it clearly showed that banteng hunting could lead to the extinction of the species.

"Banteng hunting has to stop, we cannot afford to lose them,” Tuuga added.

The banteng study was mainly funded by Yayasan Sime Darby, with additional funding from Houston Zoo, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, Malaysian Palm Oil Council and Woodland Park Zoo, and supported by the IUCN Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group.