SANDAKAN – The Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust has called on the Sabah Wildlife Department to set up a website on elephant deaths in the state so that the people could keep abreast on the developments of cases involving the endangered species.
Its pro-tem chairman, Alexander Yee, said the website should contain information on elephant deaths, locations of carcass discovery and whether there will be a reward for informants who provide leads to catch the culprits.
“Everyone is responsible and should play a role in helping build awareness on the serious need for conservation, and not just leave the task to the authorities, and place the blame on any single authority or individual.
“There is a need for people, especially in the east coast of Sabah where elephants roam, to come forward and provide information on poachers or individuals who may be directly or indirectly behind the deaths,” he said in a statement today.
Yee said the group is concerned over reports on elephant deaths in the state, especially the discovery of a dismembered and skinned jumbo at an oil palm plantation in Tongod, Kinabatangan, on January 20.
He said the discovery once again raises the need for every individual and stakeholder to play their part in helping the conservation of the state’s endangered elephants.
On recent allegations that the department has not been transparent in providing data on elephant deaths, Yee said he believes that everyone in the field of Sabah’s wildlife is helping out in the conservation of the state’s pygmy elephants, and are aware of efforts involved in saving the species.
“The Wildlife Department is rather transparent. We just need to engage more with them.
“I have had close collaborations with the department for over 10 years in Kinabatangan through the Kinabatangan-Corridor of Life Tourism Operators Association, where I am also president.” – Bernama, January 29, 2021
