African Swine Fever hurts bearded pigs, native communities in Sabah

A massive male bearded pig confidently surveys his territory in the Kinabatangan prior to the ASF outbreak in Sabah. -Pix courtesy Rudi Delvaux

KOTA KINABALU: The African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak in Sabah has affected indigenous communities in the state due to its impact on the wild boar population, recent research has found.

The research carried out by an international team from Malaysia, the United Kingdom and United States studied that oil palm expansion had affected the traditional hunting practices of the state's largest indigenous group, the Kadazandusun-Murut peoples.