Save the seladang: Ahmad Shahriman (left) pointing out how massive the beast is during the launch in Penang. — K.T.GOH/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: There are grass cutters working deep in the jungles of Perak.
They do not maintain lawns. Their job is to keep the grass in the clearings young for the sake of the Malayan gaur.
Also called seladang, this massive endangered bovine, in its prime, is taller than a man and three times as wide with muscles rippling all over.
Despite its bulk, it is a picky eater.
“The seladang wants young, tender grass which is high in protein,” said Perak State Parks Corporation interim director Lau Ching Fong.
In the past, a herd would keep a clearing trimmed simply by feeding on it. Now, there are so few left that when they move on, the old clearing grows wild and it’s useless to them.
“We can’t leave it entirely to nature any more. If we want the seladang to survive, we must maintain their grazing grounds.”
Lau said this at the renewal ceremony of CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad’s conservation partnership with Penang Institute and The Habitat Foundation yesterday under the bank’s EcoSave-i: Our Nature, Our Treasure programme, which began in 2023.
Backed by a RM1mil commitment from the bank, the two-year partnership will now expand into seladang conservation in Royal Belum State Park through better grazing zones, healthier habitat conditions and saltlick upkeep.
Local Orang Asli communities will be involved as forest stewards.
CIMB Islamic chief executive officer Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff said the bank hoped the partnership would “create meaningful ways for communities to connect with nature and take part in protecting it,” noting that Royal Belum is one of the few places where seladang herds still roam.
“This next phase is important because the seladang is unique to this region. All of us must do our part to protect our natural heritage,” he said.
In Penang, wildlife protection work will continue with more canopy bridges at known hotspots to help dusky langurs and other animals cross busy roads.
Public education will include talks, nature camps and guided trips for more than 500 schoolchildren, community groups and underprivileged participants each year.
The partnership will introduce food-waste composting machines developed by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Perak to selected schools and community sites.
Each machine can turn about a tonne of food waste into compost in a year for urban farming and habitat restoration.
Penang environment committee chairman Datuk Seri S Sundarajoo said the state government had long advocated a green and resilient future.
“These projects align closely with Penang2030 goals and highlight the importance of the Our Nature, Our Treasure initiative.”
Those present included Penang Institute executive director Datuk Ooi Kee Beng and The Habitat Foundation group managing director Danny Chua.
