SFD’s chief conservator of forests Frederick Kugan said more than 200 enforcement operations were carried out by its special team called Protect in forest reserves, protected areas and public roads despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a result of these operations, 68 arrests were made. The suspects were handed over to the police and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) for various offences under the law,” he said in a statement here today.

He said this included the arrest and prosecution of two suspects detained in Tawau for possession of elephant tusks in January last year.

Besides this, he said the team also confiscated RM3.1 million worth of forest produce from various illegal activities.

“While we are unable to cover the whole state or maintain a permanent presence in every forest reserve and protected area due to limited resources, it is undeniable that our rangers have put the pressure on poachers and illegal loggers.”

Kugan said Protect consisted of only 50 forest rangers, out of which 25 are currently funded by Yayasan Sime Darby for two years as part of its RM4 million grant to combat wildlife crimes in Sabah.

“The recent killing of a male elephant in the interior Tongod district shows that the task of protecting our wildlife against unscrupulous poachers is extremely challenging.

“We aim to further intensify our efforts in identified areas, working closely together with our partners,” he said.

Project partner Benoit Goossens, who heads the research outfit Danau Girang Field Centre, said the challenge of fighting poaching and wildlife trade is immense and cannot be easily solved in a few months.

He said this required massive resources to enable intensive ground presence and intelligence gathering by enforcement bodies such as the SFD, SWD and the police, among others.

“Equally important is the participation and greater awareness of these crimes among the public,” he said.