Mission to save Sabah's majestic wild cattle

Dennis Wong New Straits Times 13 Jun 11;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department recently launched a campaign to save the Bornean Banteng, a wild cattle species, from possibly becoming the first large mammal in recent times to become extinct.

The Bornean Banteng Programme, conducted together with the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and non-governmental organisation Hutan, is aimed at understanding the habits of the endangered species in order to save it.

The number of Bornean Banteng (Bos javanicus) is, after years of poaching and encroachment on its natural habitat, believed to be much less than that of elephants here and is on the endangered list.


Sabah Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said the programme would be a long-term one to provide insights into the ecology of the species.

"The results will assist us to develop an action plan for all bantengs in Sabah.

"With this, we hope to increase the awareness and appreciation of Sabah's wildlife, which we should protect against poaching, habitat degradation and loss."


Ecological information is crucial to the conservation of the banteng. However, its elusive behaviour, the remote inhospitable forest habitat and its small population make studies difficult.

"To overcome these problems, we will study its population in two forests reserves -- Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Malua Forest Reserve -- using satellite telemetry, camera traps and genetic analyses," said DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens.

The programme receives funding from the Houston Zoo, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Woodland Park Zoo.


It will also collaborate with several partners such as the Sabah Forestry Department, New Forests Asia Sdn Bhd and the Malua Biobank Project, Cardiff University, and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.

Cardiff University doctorate student Penny Gardner, who is attached to DGFC, said they had started setting up camera traps in Malua and Tabin.

"In Malua, we have collected some pictures of healthy adult males and females, as well as juveniles," she said.