Fw: [AR-News] Killing of pygmy elephant cannot be viewed lightly

November 4, 2004

November 2, 2004

Killing of elephant cannot be viewed lightly: official

KOTA KINABALU - MP for Silam Samsu Baharun Abdul Rahman Monday lodged a

police report over the killing of a pygmy elephant in Sabah, fearing that

there could be a conspiracy to wipe out the pachyderms, Bernama reported.

He claimed that the elephant was killed on September 24 at the Matamba

plantation, about 20 kilometres from the Tabin Wildlife Protection Centre.

Samsu Baharun, who is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Entrepreneur

Development and Cooperatives Ministry, said in a statement the police must

investigate the case as it involved the use of firearms which could threaten

the country's security.

" The case cannot be viewed lightly; I believe there is a conspiracy behind

the third killing of pygmy elephants from the Tabin Wildlife Protection

Centre and this is worrying.

" This is because no police report was made by anybody although 37 days have

passed and the elephant's carcass was buried near to where it was found by a

Tungku Estate officer with three gunshot wounds in the head, " he said.

Samsu Baharun said he viewed poaching as a serious matter, particularly so

if it was carried out by estate workers from the vicinity of the centre who

were free to move in and out of the centre to trap and kill wildlife

protected under the Wildlife Enactment 1997.

" When I conducted a spot visit at noon yesterday, no security measures were

mounted at the centre as everybody was free to move about without being

inspected although there were over 20 rangers posted at the 120,521-ha

centre. " he said.

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