KOTA KINABALU: The Plantation and Commodities Ministry is committed to addressing the growing conflict between elephants and humans, particularly in oil palm plantations across Sabah.
Deputy Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the government has set up the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation (MPOGCF) under the ministry to tackle such conflicts involving elephants and other wildlife, including orang utan.
“The foundation was established to support various conservation efforts, such as the MPOGCF wildlife project along Sungai Pin in Kinabatangan, carried out in collaboration with the Sawit Kinabalu Group,” he said after launching the Palm Oil Replanting Financing Incentive Scheme (TSPKS 2.0) in Tawau on Thursday (April 10).
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Chan described the recent discovery of a decapitated pygmy elephant at an oil palm plantation in Ladang Bukit Tukok, Kalabakan, as tragic and unacceptable.
He said the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry and its Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew were taking firm action on the matter, and his ministry is ready to cooperate.
Sabah is home to the Bornean pygmy elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), which is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List because of its small and declining population, with only around 1,000 estimated to remain in the wild.
Earlier, Sabah Wildlife Department director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said the plantation owner in Kalabakan would be questioned.
He said it was puzzling that the carcass was only found after about two weeks, given the state of decomposition of the remains, suggesting the incident went unreported.
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Earlier, Soffian revealed that six elephants have been found decapitated in Sabah since July last year, all along Kalabakan Road, believed to be driven by market demand for ivory.
“Last year alone, 32 elephant deaths were recorded (from) various causes such as illness, poisoning, suspected murder, shooting, and four decapitations,” he said.
“This year, as of today, two more elephants have been killed in the same manner, bringing the total to six.
"Although investigations are ongoing and we have yet to obtain solid evidence to prosecute those responsible, efforts will continue to uncover the culprits behind these brutal killings,” he added.
