Step up efforts to protect wildlife
EFFORTS to conserve our wildlife such as the tapir seems to have no impact although the death of these gentle mammals are being reported in the media quite often.
Honestly, it pains me every time I read the news about the tragic death of a tapir, which is also known as “panda Malaysia”.
It’s also very depressing to see the picture of a mutilated tapir carcass, which is clearly an act of cruelty upon the animal.
Recently, a tapir suffered the same fate after a botched rescue operation. The animal died when it fell into a drain in Taman Desa Saujana, Batu 14, Hulu Langat in the early morning of Oct 25 and efforts by the Malaysia Civil Defence Force to save it failed.
When it comes to rescuing tapir or other wild animals, those without knowledge in handling such cases must never be charged to do so. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) should be informed as they have the expertise to handle animal rescue.
This was not the first time the body parts of a dead tapir were stolen. On April 3, a dead tapir found near Simpang Slow Temiang, Kuala Krai, Kelantan also had its skin and nose removed by people who have no compassion for animals. The body parts are taken for various purposes, including for traditional medicine even though they have been proven to have no medical benefits.
Such cruel acts have raised questions on the effectiveness of awareness campaigns on conservation of wildlife since we still have “monsters” in our midst who do not hesitate to do cruel things on lifeless animals.
Since development projects will continue to push wildlife such as the tapir in contact with human settlements, I would like to once again call on all parties to step up efforts to protect these animals through a more effective and comprehensive awareness campaign.
We do not want members of the public and those from the relevant agencies to handle animals that are lost, injured or trapped in a human settlement or near the road if they have no or limited knowledge on how to do the job properly.
At the same time, we do not want wildlife carcasses to be mutilated and parts stolen by those who are not concerned about animal welfare.
Hopefully, our MPs will bring this matter to the Dewan Rakyat so that it can be discussed and special allocation can be included in the 2018 Budget to address the problem.
Funds should be made available to organise a massive awareness campaign as well as to implement various plans that could save wildlife, including building habitats and special routes for them in high-risk areas.
Although the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, which replaced the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, provides more severe penalties on those who kill wild animals, lack of awareness among the community has caused this problem to persist.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, individuals who take body parts of the protected animals could be charged under Section 68 and fined up to RM100,000 or jailed up to three years or both upon conviction.
The conflict between men and wildlife is deplorable based on what has been reported by the media.
I believe that many people are unaware that our tapirs, especially Tapir Malaya, are on the verge of extinction as only between 1,200 and 1,500 can be found throughout the peninsula today.
Being the largest species in the tapir family, Tapir Malaya could weigh up to 540kg and is the only one that has a white patch on its body.
The tapir is a gentle and timid animal that often wanders near human settlements and roads to find food.
In July this year, the animals were reportedly seen roaming in Kampung Bukit Rangin, Kuantan, which raised concern among animal lovers as some people may want to kill them.
The fact that the animal likes to look for food near the road at night is also the reason why more than 40 tapirs have been killed by moving vehicles since 2010.
On Aug 25, a pair of tapirs were killed by a passing car as they were crossing the Gebeng bypass road in Kuantan.
As someone who is deeply concerned about the fate of our wildlife, I urge authorities to take urgent and concrete action to address the issue of roadkill involving the protected animals.
More animal viaducts need to be built along the highways and roads that cut through animal habitats or their migration routes.
New land transport routes, including the High Speed Rail (HSR) project between Malaysia and Singapore and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) that will connect Kuala Lumpur and the east coast states, must also take this aspect into consideration and provide safe passage for the tapirs and other wildlife.
Based on Perhilitan’s record, currently there are 61 road and highway networks that have recorded roadkill cases, and the five with the highest number of cases are Jalan Kuala LipisGua Musang, Jalan Kulai-Kota Tinggi, Jalan Gua Musang-Kuala Krai; East Coast Expressway 2 (LPT2) and Jalan Taiping-Selama.
I believe Perhilitan also has accurate information on wildlife habitats and routes that can help the Government to build animal viaducts and crossings at suitable locations along the new roads and rail lines so that we could stop roadkill involving wildlife in the future.