Call for ideas on how to save endangered Bornean banteng

KOTA KINABALU: Conservationists are racing against time to find ways to protect the endangered Bornean banteng, especially from poachers and development.

Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Dr Benoit Goossens said that at the rate the animal is being poached, it may be extinct in 20 years.

Last month, three of the wild cattle were poached within protected areas in Sabah in just three days.

“At this rate, we will lose our banteng just like we lost our Sumatran rhino,” Goossens said.

The species is also threatened by habitat loss, road building and forest fragmentation.

To kick-start conservation efforts, a twoday workshop with representatives from Yayasan Sime Darby, DGFC and the Sabah Wildlife Department, among others, will be held to generate ideas.

Goossens said the workshop is expected to yield recommendations that will serve as the foundation for an action plan to save the banteng.

The recommendations will be based on a five-year extensive statewide survey conducted by DGFC and Sabah Wildlife.

The action plan will then be validated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Asian Wild Cattle Specialist Group before being submitted to the Sabah government for approval, he said.

The total population of the species is estimated to be around 400 to 500, making the Bornean banteng the most endangered large mammal in Sabah at present.