KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry will be meeting with the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) to discuss the future of the otters that have recently appeared in recreational parks.
Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the otter population had increased rapidly, and efforts are now needed to find a suitable home for the protected species.
“There are many of them now, and they multiply quickly. We may need to relocate them, but it won’t be an easy task,” she told reporters at the national-level Malaysia Day celebration press conference here yesterday.
Liew admitted that relocating animals is “very expensive”, adding that they will also need to determine the best method for moving the otters to a new habitat.
“That’s why I need to sit down with the SWD director to discuss the matter,” she said.
Liew also expressed concern over the recent otter attack on three joggers at Perdana Park in Tanjung Aru on Wednesday.
Following the attack, the park was temporarily closed to visitors based on advice from the Kota Kinabalu City Hall.
One of the victims, Mariasella Harun, was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital after being attacked by a group of otters while jogging there.
Two other joggers tried to help her, but they too were attacked.
SWD director Roland Niun said this was the first otter attack reported in Sabah, noting that it was unusual for these generally harmless animals to behave aggressively.
However, he explained that otters could become aggressive when threatened or provoked.
Otters, classified as protected wildlife under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, have been spotted recently in several other recreational parks in the city, particularly those near rivers and lakes.
