KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Parks rangers came across at least 10 illegal camps used by gaharu (agarwood) thieves and poachers in the protected Crocker Range area during a recent operation.
Dubbed Ops Spider, the special enforcement crackdown was conducted for the first time between Oct 29 and Wednesday (Nov 11) and involved 40 field rangers and general assistants.
The operation focused on the Crocker Range crux zone spanning from the west coast to the interior, covering about 60km.
"During the operation, we found 10 former campsites believed to be used by gaharu thieves and poachers," Aldrin Peter Aloysius of the Sabah Parks Enforcement Unit wrote on the Sabah Parks Facebook page.
He said they seized all the equipment left behind, and destroyed dangerous items according to procedure.
Enforcers had to trek through the jungle and mud, as well as hilly and uneven terrain, during the operation.
Aloysius said the initiative was successful as they managed to strip and clear the 10 illegal sites.
He said the operation marked the start of more systematic enforcement to protect Sabah's parks from encroachment, illegal activities and destruction of natural resources.
Gaharu is used in high-end perfumes, essential oils, traditional medicines and incense.
Illegally sourcing the plant often results in forest degradation, driving wild tree species towards extinction, and triggering secondary wildlife poaching.
In another Sabah Parks development, nature lovers who wish to see the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, in bloom can do so by Friday (Nov 13) as the Rafflesia keithii (with six petals) measuring 65cm across has been reported since Monday (Nov 9) at Tropical Garden, Poring Hot Springs Substation in Kinabalu Park.
