KOTA KINABALU: A qualified company will be appointed to manage the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary (BES), following concerns by conservationists over the condition of the animal shelter.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew said she would visit the sanctuary with a team in two days.
The selected company will manage the sanctuary closely with the Sabah Wildlife Department, she added when asked to comment on the conservationists' comments on Thursday (Jan 16).
They claimed that the place was run down, and elephants were not given the proper care they needed.
Liew said that her team would inspect the sanctuary and sign a memorandum of understanding with the company picked to handle its operations.
“This company will be in charge of making sure it is not run down. I am confident that... the project will be managed properly,” she told a press conference after a Chinese New Year luncheon with the media here.
On related matters, she said the government is in the process of appointing contractors for the planting of elephant food plants in the Lower Kinabatangan area.
“We have also applied for extra land to expand the space for the elephant corridor,” she said, adding that these corridors and the BES would become attractive tourism products for Sabah.
On AirAsia’s target of bringing five million visitors to Sabah this year, as opposed to the state’s 3.5 million arrival target, Liew said it was a commendable effort and the government supported it.
She said the state would maintain its 3.5 million target but any excess achieved would greatly benefit all sectors in Sabah.
