KOTA KINABALU: Threats against the protected pangolin, including poaching, have reduced in Sabah, but it doesn’t mean these species are safe now.
Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Prof. Dr Benoît Goossens said that while the cases reported and recorded have reduced, poaching of pangolins was still ongoing.
“I can’t say it is rampant and I can’t say it has significantly reduced. To say that, we need baseline data,” he said, adding that the current ‘stable’ condition is made possible with increased enforcement and more boots on the ground.
He said the creation of the Sabah Forestry Department’s Protect unit and the Sabah Wildlife Department’s Rapid Response Teams, funded by Yayasan Sime Darby, has also contributed to this improvement.
“The setting up of an intelligence unit at Sabah Wildlife Department, with support from DGFC and funding from the United States Department of State have played important roles too,” added Goossens.
In Kota Kinabalu, there is a functioning forensic laboratory under SWD supporting wildlife crime investigations, he pointed out, stating that all these contribute to a potential reduction of pangolin and other wildlife poaching and trade.
“So as long as there is consistent enforcement and patrols, we should be able to keep the number of poachings down. We cannot be lenient on matters relating to wildlife protection and conservation,” he stressed.
In conjunction with World Pangolin Day, which falls on the third Saturday of February annually (Feb 21 for this year), the DGFC also wishes to remind the public that pangolin remains the most trafficked wildlife in the world.
“Pangolin is the only scaly mammal on Earth and is also the most trafficked. Here in Kinabatangan, we are working hard to ensure these 'guardians of the forest' don't disappear,” it said.
The DGFC research dives deep into how these elusive creatures survive in fragmented landscapes via VHF (Very High Frequency) tracking and camera trapping, among other methods.
“Through these measures, we are uncovering their secrets to build better conservation strategies and secure their future in Sabah,” it said.
It called upon all to help in the protection and conservation of these species by learning and understanding that the pangolin scales, which have been claimed to possess medicinal values, are made of keratin, just like one’s fingernails, with no proven medicinal value.
The public is urged to report incidents of wildlife trade or poaching if they know or see such activities to the Sabah Wildlife Department immediately.
They are also encouraged to share information and spread the word that pangolins belong in the wild, not on a plate or in a bottle.
