Urgent sanctuary, strategies needed in Sabah for pangolin protection, study finds

Half of Sabah's land area is suitable for the Sunda pangolin, a totally protected species, but most of it is accessible to poachers. – Photo: Lim Jia Zhen/Danau Girang Field Centre.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's forests are ideal sanctuary for the endangered Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) but there is an urgent need for protection strategies for the mammals, according to a study published in Global Ecology and Conservation journal.

The study found that about half of Sabah's land area or approximately 39,530sq km was a suitable habitat for the animal.