ANY news of wildlife encroaching into areas where they could pose a danger to people tends to go viral, especially if the creature in question is an apex predator.
Recently, a video of a tiger went viral along with the claim that it is on the prowl in an oil palm estate in Sipitang, Sabah. Is there any truth to this?
VERDICT:
FALSE
A video clip claiming there is a tiger loose in an oil palm plantation in Sabah’s Sipitang district is not true, says Tanjong Papat assemblyman Datuk Frankie Poon.
Poon said this, adding that he had checked the authenticity of the claim made after the 27-second clip made its rounds in social media.
He said the person who appears to have taken the video claimed that it was in Sipitang, about 140km southwest of Kota Kinabalu.
“I was concerned and made it a point to check with the Minister concerned and the other relevant departments about the authenticity of the video. My source told me that there is no tiger in Sabah," said Poon.
“The state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew also confirmed that it was not true We should ignore the viral video,” said Poon in a statement.
In the video, a man could be heard warning people to be careful of a tiger as he drove past the animal which was resting in what looked like an oil palm estate.
Poon said he understands why the video could be unnerving to the public.
“I hope no one is too scared to go to their plantations and for that matter, to any jungle in Sabah. We should continue to enjoy the natural beauty of Sabah as much as possible.Tourism players should continue to bring in more tourists without fear,” he said.
