KOTA KINABALU: Sabah should consider creating a major wildlife park styled like the Serengeti National Park in Africa as a measure to protect its various endangered animals, says Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
“The Serengeti National Park in Africa has thousands of acres meant for tourism and preservation—it can be done here too,” the state opposition leader said during a Chinese New Year walkabout at the Lido marker here Saturday (Jan 25).
Shafie was commenting on state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew's statement that her ministry was looking at the possibility of privatising the Bornean Elephant Sanctuary in Lower Kinabatangan.
"Wildlife is part of Sabah’s heritage. Privatisation threatens that heritage,” he said, adding that it could undermine wildlife conservation efforts and erode public trust in the sanctuary.
Shafie said there was a need for long-term planning and public management of conservation of the state's endangered species.
He said that when Warisan-Pakatan Harapan was in government from 2018 to 2020, he had set aside 30,000 hectares in Sabah's central Telupid district for a sanctuary to protect wildlife, such as elephants and orangutans.
He also said that a Japanese donor, Saraya Corporation, had also bought a substantial piece of land in the area to help the state facilitate the preservation of wildlife.
“He came to my office and said, ‘Please preserve this land for wildlife.’ That’s the kind of commitment we need—land meant for conservation must be protected, not handed over to private entities,” Shafie added.
Last week Saraya Corporation pledged funds up to RM1mil to the state government in its efforts to create an elephant food corridor project in the Lower Kinabatangan region to reduce human-elephant conflicts.
