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Sabah: CM warns plantation industry

Sabah: CM warns plantation industry

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pix) has issued a stern warning to the plantation industry today that the protection of wildlife in Sabah is absolute.

This was in reference to the recent killing and detusking of an endangered pygmy elephant in Sabah which was reported to have been facilitated by security guards employed by a plantation in the Tawau district.

Shafie said this selfish act for personal gain was hurting Sabah’s reputation as a responsible producer of timber and palm oil.

He said Sabah’s elephants were protected by the state’s laws as a totally protected species.

“The brutal killing of this one elephant in Tawau is a crime against our protected species. I commend the police and Sabah Wildlife Department for their swift action in apprehending the perpetrators.

“However, it distresses me to find out that the perpetrators of this crime are employees of a plantation conglomerate. The sustainability of Sabah’s plantations will no doubt be tainted by this one act of cruelty for personal gain,“ he said in a statement, here, today.

Shafie said plantation owners and smallholders had time and again been advised on handling such problems, including calling in the Wildlife Department to help carry out control of elephant-human conflicts.

“To me, there is no excuse to kill. It should not have happened. I am told this is the first time that elephant poachers have been arrested although such a crime has been going on for years,” he said.

“Wildlife in Sabah is as much a part of our natural capital as timber and palm oil.

“Within the state-owned GLCs like Sabah Softwoods in Tawau, extraordinary measures have been put in place to protect elephants at the cost of reduced earnings.”

He said these were the measures the government expected from private enterprises operating in Sabah.

“Sabah and the private industries have invested so much in wildlife conservation that I refuse to allow exceptions for rogue members of society to commit this crime not just against wildlife but also against Sabahans that depend on the export of sustainable timber and palm oil,” he added.

Shafie has ordered the police to conduct a full and complete investigation into the killing, saying for too long, criminals had exploited Sabah’s rich wildlife for the illegal trade.

“Sabah will make an example of the perpetrators in custody to send a clear message to poachers that you will face the full force of the law that protects Sabah’s wildlife if you dare continue with the illegal activities.

“Let the message be clear to plantations and industries as well — should there be reasonable doubt that they have not done their due diligence in employing staff like these security guards under detention, they too will face the law for having failed their obligations to educate their employees of their responsibilities.

“The Bornean elephants are endangered … we cannot and will not allow this species to go extinct in Sabah,” he said.


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