SANDAKAN – The Sabah Wildlife Department has been slammed for not revealing information on a slew of elephant deaths in the state recently.
A local wildlife expert, who wished to remain anonymous, said the department is not transparent as there is no public data or information provided on the animals’ deaths.
“Also, we have not received any update on the investigation or prosecution of the culprits. Why is the information not made public?”
The media has reported four elephant deaths since November last year, with the most recent being last Friday, involving a calf in Kinabatangan.
On November 22, a 20-year-old elephant was found dead, also in Kinabatangan, with poisoning being the likely cause of death.
On January 19, a calf was found dead in Lahad Datu, and the next day, a mutilated elephant carcass was found in Tongod.
All the animals were found dead on oil palm plantations.
The cases were only acknowledged by the Wildlife Department after it was questioned by the press, as news of the deaths was widely shared on social media.
A conservationist suggested that publicising these deaths would tarnish the department’s image.
“My guess is that elephants dying in Sabah is not good news for the department. So, the officers do not want to share information.
“The same goes for turtles. We do not know how many of our (Sabah’s) turtles have died.
“We only have unofficial figures (from news reports) that more than 80 Borneo pygmy elephants have died in Sabah over the last three years.”
Sabah’s conservation groups and wildlife experts often depend on state and private grants to stay afloat. – The Vibes, January 25, 2021
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