THE island of Borneo is home to over 222 mammals, 420 birds, 100 amphibians and 394 fish, some of which are endemic to the island.
What comes with having such a variety of animals living and breeding on the island is the poaching activities perpetrated by humans either for food or the exotic pet trade.
In Sabah recently, wildlife officials found 11 carcasses of endangered sea turtles stranded on the nearby shores of Bum-Bum Island, which were split open.
Sabah General Operations Force (PGA) Brigade Commander, Senior Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rani Alias, said the turtles were believed to have been eaten and killed for the extraction of their eggs.
Turtles are known to be one of the many “victims” of the animal trade apart from tigers, pangolins, gibbons, orangutans and others in the lists of animals threatened by extinction.
Some blame deforestation practised in the timber industry, yet Borneo itself had always acted as a hub for wildlife trade done by smugglers from the east and west.
Because of their high values among the rich, most such exotic animals would be smuggled to countries like India, America, China and Africa, because of the high profit due to its endangered status.
This is usually conducted illicitly via any mode of transportation, by air, sea and roads.
Buses and trucks driving through borders look inconspicuous until their cargo compartments are checked.
If caught by the authorities, bribery will often be used by these smuggling syndicates to get out of trouble, and more often than not, the authorities are willing to accept the handsome sum of money to turn a blind eye.
In a Vice News report, a former member of the illegal animal trade in Indonesia was reported as saying: “My fellow hunters just wrote down the name and destination of the delivery, and the package would only arrive at the bus terminal. Later someone connected to the buyer would pick up the package from the terminal.”
Sabah and Sarawak face a totally different problem in legal terms as the two different regions in Malaysia do not share a common constitution when it comes to protecting wildlife.
In Peninsular Malaysia, more than 1,900 species are considered totally protected from any form of hunting or trade. Out of that number, only 88 are considered to be totally protected in Sabah and Sarawak.
Penalties and fines in both regions also differ from each other.
Possession of a protected species in Sabah might incur a fine of between RM50,000 (US$12,319) and RM250,000 (US$60,672), a jail term of between one to five years, or both.
In Sarawak, a similar offence might incur fines of between RM25,000 (US$6,159) and RM50,000 (US$12,319) and a jail term of between two and five years, or both.
Climate change is believed to have adverse effects on the population of wildlife which will occur if no changes are initiated.
However, initiatives have been conducted by governments and wildlife authorities to secure the future of wildlife within the island.
Below is a ist of initiatives set by different authorities over the years in Borneo to preserve its wildlife:
1. In 1998, a French non-governmental organisation (NGO), HUTAN, partnered with the Sabah Wildlife Department in Malaysian Borneo to establish the Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme.
2. The Heart of Borneo (HoB) is a government-led and NGO-supported programme that was initiated through a joint declaration by the governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia in 2007 to conserve the biodiversity of Borneo.
3. Borneo Nature Foundation (BNF) is an Indonesian-based NGO with 20 years of experience in implementing conservation and research programmes in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo.
4. The Bukit Piton Project is a replanting/reforestation project conducted by Brothers Recycling to provide a sustainable living shelter and food source for the orangutans in Lahad Datu, Sabah. – TVS
