KOTA BARU – The government plans to increase the number of forest rangers to help control encroachment activities and maintain natural wildlife habitats, says Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
He said to date, the government has appointed over 600 rangers with relevant expertise, including to protect forest reserves.
According to Takiyuddin, over 400 are from the Orang Asli community while the rest are military and police veterans who have received adequate training.
He said they have been given a special allowance that enable them to earn a take-home salary of over RM2,000 a month.
“The rangers are trained and have the capability to handle cases in the jungle, including in looking after the wildlife habitats to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Such conflicts could occur as the animals’ natural habitats are used for development purposes,” he said when met by reporters here yesterday.
When asked whether the government will increase the recruitment of rangers from among the Orang Asli, he said those with expertise in the field are hard to come by.
“We need many more (rangers), and we will appoint them. If we are to recruit rangers from among the Orang Asli, those with experience are almost gone.
“Nevertheless, we will train them if there are people who are keen to join the team,” he said.
Prior to this, the media reported that the Kemaman district in Terengganu recorded the highest number of disturbances by wild elephants in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said other places in the state that also recorded intrusions by wild elephants are Besut, Dungun, Hulu Terengganu and Setiu.
According to the report, Takiyuddin said the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) had received 251 complaints from villagers and plantations from 2015 till last year, involving losses totalling RM3.5 million. – Bernama, October 17, 2021
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