Sunda pangolins may go extinct in Sabah due to poaching, says state Wildlife director

(File picture) In this file photo taken on June 30, 2017, a juvenile Sunda pangolin can be seen feeding on termites at the Singapore Zoo. - Photo: AFP

KOTA KINABALU: There are fears that the Sunda pangolin, also known as the Malayan or Javan pangolin, may become extinct in Sabah due to illegal hunting, says Augustine Tuuga.

The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) director said Sabah had been the focus of poachers and smugglers of the Sunda pangolins, which is scientifically known as Manis javanica, resulting in a shrinkage of the population of the animal in the state.

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However, he could not provide accurate data on the number of the mammals in the state.

He said five arrests involving illegal hunting of the pangolins had been recorded since 2019.

"The statistics, however, do not show the real scenario involving poachers of the pangolins because, based on research, only 30% of the criminals are caught," he told Bernama recently.

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According to Augustine, pangolins are often hunted because they are a source of protein, and their scales are used in traditional medicine.

He said anyone found guilty of selling or buying pangolins could be fined between RM50,000 and RM250,000, as well as jailed for up to five years and urged those with information on poaching activities to contact SWD either through social media platforms, the website www.wildlife.sabah.gov.my or by calling 088-215 353 during office hours.

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Sunda pangolins are fully protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, like other wildlife such as the Orang Utan, bears, Clouded Leopard, Proboscis monkeys, turtles and the Banteng, he said.

Sunda pangolins are found in South-East Asia, especially Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

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However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), there is no accurate data on the total population of the species, except in Singapore, where it is estimated at 1,068 pangolins.

Apart from the Sunda pangolin, three other species of pangolins are found in Asia, namely the Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla); Indian Pangolin (Sweet crassicaudata) and Philippine Pangolin (Sweet culionensis), while in Africa there are the Giant Pangolins (Smutsia gigantae), White-bellied Pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis), Temminck Pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) and Black Belly Pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla).

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In 2008, the Sunda pangolin was classified as an endangered animal under the Red List of Threatened Species by IUCN, before the status was changed to critically endangered in 2014 following an 80% decline in its population over a 21-year period.

According to the IUCN, a report in 2010 found that more than 22,000 Sunda pangolins were illegally exported from Sabah between 2007 and 2009, while about 30 tonnes of the animals, including frozen ones, were seized by the state authorities in February 2019. - Bernama