KOTA KINABALU: There has been no formal agreement by the Sabah government to bring Malayan tapirs to the state.
Sabah wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said although discussions on the matter had taken place, no official proposal has been made to the state cabinet.
His statement came about following news reports on plans to reintroduce tapirs to Sabah with the cooperation between the state Wildlife Department and related state agencies.
The report quoted Akademi Sains Malaysia’s (ASM) Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, who presented a lecture on forestry and climate change at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah here, yesterday.
Augustine, meanwhile, said Datu Rosmadi Sulai, the Permanent Secretary to the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, had clarified that there has been no formal agreement by the state government on the matter.
“We are aware that there have been discussions and communication among Malaysian government officers, scientists and conservationists in Sabah and in Peninsular Malaysia on the matter but there is still no firm agreement among them on the proposal.
“In any case, the decision on such matters should be made by the Sabah cabinet. So far, we are not aware of any official proposal made to the cabinet for a decision,” said Augustine.
The Borneo Post had quoted Akademi Sains Malaysia’s (ASM) Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor as saying that the Sabah government had agreed with the effort proposed by the Pencinta Alam Association.
Salleh was quoted as saying that the Wildlife Department in Peninsular Malaysia planned to hand over three to four tapirs to Sabah. The reintroduction programme, he said, was expected to commence early next year.
According to Salleh, the proposal to reintroduce tapirs back to Sabah was presented to the state government two years ago. He said tapirs had existed in Sabah in the past but had become extinct.
Salleh, who was presenting a lecture on forestry and climate change at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah yesterday, however said a more in-depth discussion is needed before the programme is implemented.