Article: Selangau a hub for wildlife trade

Friday August 14, 2009

By JACK WONG

KUCHING: Selangau, in central Sarawak, has been des-cribed as a "one-stop centre" for those looking to buy wildlife.

Located about an hour's drive from Sibu, this bazaar-town has restaurants serving up dishes containing boar, venison, flying bats and monitor lizards, amongst other delicacies.

Together with Serikin on the Sarawak-West Kalimantan border town, these two areas are hotspots for the illegal wildlife trade.

"Illegal trading of wildlife is also going on in other places," said Sarawak Forestry Corpo-ration chief wildlife warden Wilfred Landong.

The state authorities have listed 21 species of mammals, 26 species of birds and five species of reptiles as protected animals.

Another 40 are listed as protected mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and invertebrates, Landong said during a presentation of the corporation's honorary wildlife ranger programme held at the Kuching Hilton yesterday.

Some 330 newly-appointed honorary wildlife rangers, most of them community leaders and timber camp managers, attended the event.

The rangers are to report to wildlife offices or the police on any contravention of the Wildlife Ordinance.

They would also educate the locals on wildlife conservation. Landong said besides stepping up enforcement activities to curb illegal wildlife trade, the corporation also carried out public outreach campaign on the importance of wildlife conservation.

The corporation had initiated a pilot wildlife eco-tourism project that enabled tourists to cruise along the Bako River near here to view crocodiles at night.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, who officiated the event, said the wildlife population has dropped because the people have taken them for granted.

"Despite its importance, our insensitive actions are eroding this wildlife population at a dangerous rate," he added.

Jabu said to overcome the current destructive trends of wildlife and the over-use of biodiversity, it was important to educate the public on conservation.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Starprobe 14 August 2009