Grabbing the bull by the horns: A file photo of bull bantengs at a forest reserve in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: There is still hope for the critically endangered banteng or wild buffalo in Sabah, says Sabah Wildlife Department director Roland Nuin.
“To first understand issues concerning the banteng in the state, the public needs to know that its recent classification as critically endangered reflected a decline in its population across the species.
“Banteng was listed as critically endangered because throughout its range state, the population has declined. But it doesn’t mean that we have done wrong with our conservation efforts,” he said when contacted.
Sabah, Nuin said, had implemented an action plan for banteng conservation, including the Bornean Banteng Action Plan for 2019-2028.
“In fact, we started our banteng conservation efforts early. Many initiatives are ongoing in Sabah, especially on protection through enforcement activities within the habitats of the banteng,” he said.
“One notable success is the food planting initiative in Tabin, Lahad Datu, which has led to a doubling in the number of calves over the past few years.
“So to say that Sabah is not doing well in banteng conservation or to say that there is no hope for banteng to thrive is unfair and not true,” Nuin said.
According to a recent department statement, only about 500 banteng remain in four isolated sub-populations in the state: Paitan-Sugut in the north, Kulamba-Tabin in the east, the Central Forest area and Sipitang in the west.
It stated that the Bornean banteng (Bos javanicus lowi) is currently the most endangered large mammal in Sabah.
The banteng, a wild cattle species native to South-East Asia, was previously categorised as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.
Prof Dr Benoit Goossens, director of the Danau Girang Field Centre, affirmed that conservation efforts in Sabah are headed in the right direction.
He noted that the species’ up-listing reflects broader trends across its range, not just in Sabah.
“Many conservation measures and enforcement actions are in place in Sabah. It’s moving in the right direction and there is indeed hope for the banteng,” he said.
