No hunting of sambar and barking deer for two years in Malaysia

Tan Cheng Li, The Star 22 Jul 09;

PETALING JAYA: The hunting of sambar and barking deer will be stopped for two years, in a move to safeguard their numbers and ultimately, that of the Malayan tiger.

Wildlife and National Parks Department enforcement director Saharudin Anan said the two-year moratorium on hunting will start this November, when the annual one-month open season for both game species usually kicks off.

He said no hunting licences will be issued for deer this year and next, to allow the declining deer population to rebound and provide a food source for wild tigers.

Wildlife scientists have said that tiger densities depended very much on the abundance of large preys such as the sambar and barking deer, but they have been overhunted in recent years.

Sambar deer numbers have plunged drastically, prompting the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to list the species as endangered last year.

The Perhilitan 2007 annual report revealed that 221 sambar deer and 315 barking deer were captured by licensed sports hunters that year, the bulk of them in Pahang.

The department issued 574 hunting licences for both species that year, which brought in a revenue of RM81,500.

The licence costs RM200 for the sambar deer and RM100 for the barking deer, and permits the capture of one animal.

In Kuala Lumpur, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas said the ministry has sought military assistance to help curb illegal wildlife trade in the country.

“The border is so long and the areas are so wide. And many people realise that our jungles are rich in resources and all kinds of flora and fauna.

“But all hope is not lost. We are working with the military to come out with more effective enforcement,” he said when launching the forum, Mainstreaming Biodiversity with a Focus on the National Tiger Action Plan yesterday.

“We have a masterplan and our commitment is to achieve that plan,” Uggah said.

He added that a task force, consisting of enforcement agencies, would also be formed to look into matters pertaining to wildlife poaching and smuggling.

Mycat hails ban on hunting of tiger prey
The Star 23 Jul 09;

THE Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (Mycat) – comprising the Malaysian Nature Society, Traffic South-East Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia – congratulates the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia on instituting a nationwide ban on hunting of sambar and barking deer (The Star, July 22).

The two-year moratorium on hunting that will begin this November – the annual month-long hunting season for these species – is welcome news indeed. Both are vital tiger prey species, and an insufficient prey base is one of the threats to the tiger’s survival.

The sambar deer particularly is in a precarious situation. Previously categorised as least concern on the IUCN Red List, it has recently been upgraded to the vulnerable category, due its decline in recent years.

It faces a real threat of local extinction. Sambar deer are difficult to find outside of protected areas and rare even within.

We are pleased that the Department of Wildlife has realised that when populations are in decline, they cannot be sustainably harvested.

The department’s proactive action will hopefully be a step towards allowing wild populations to recover, and take us closer to our target of having 1,000 wild tigers by the year 2020, as set out by the National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia.

At the end of two years, there should be a multi-site scientific assessment with various stakeholders of both the sambar and barking deer populations to indicate the future sustainability.

LORETTA ANN SHEPHERD,
Mycat Programme
Coordinator

Letter To The Editor:
Response: Ban on hunting of sambar and barking deer
(The Star, 22 Jul 2009)
WWF 22 Jul 09;

Dear Editor,

We, the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers, comprising the Malaysian Nature Society, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society – Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia, congratulate the Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia on instituting a nationwide ban on hunting of sambar and barking deer.

The two-year moratorium on hunting that will begin this November - the annual month-long hunting season for these species - is welcome news indeed. Both are vital tiger prey species, and an insufficient prey base is one of the threats to the tiger’s survival.

The sambar deer particularly is in a precarious situation. Previously categorised as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, it has recently been upgraded to the Vulnerable category, due its decline. It faces a real threat of local extinction. They are difficult to find outside of protected areas and rare even within.

We are pleased that the Department of Wildlife has realised that when populations are in decline, they cannot be sustainably harvested. The department’s proactive action will hopefully be a step towards allowing wild populations to recover, and take us closer to our target of having 1000 wild tigers by the year 2020, as set out by the National Tiger Action Plan for Malaysia.

At the end of two years, there should be a multi-site scientific assessment with various stakeholders of both the sambar and barking deer populations to indicate the future sustainability.


Letter issued by:
Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers, comprising the Malaysian Nature Society, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Wildlife Conservation Society – Malaysia Programme and WWF-Malaysia.