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KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife Department will contact its counterpart in Indonesia to get more details on the seized elephant tusk at Nunukan port recently, its director Augustine Tuuga said today.
“We are not sure whether the tusk was from our Bornean pygmy elephant or when was it obtained.
“However, there was no report of the species being killed recently since the mutilation of two elephants (in Kinabatangan) last year,” he said when contacted.
Augustine was responding to reports by the Indonesian media on the arrest of an Indonesian worker at Nunukan in North Kalimantan for possessing elephant tusk on July 24.
The 50-year-old man had claimed to purchase the 2.7 kilogramme tusk from a Malaysian for RM1,500.
In January, the Indonesian authorities had also seized five ivory tusks from an Indonesian woman returning from Tawau.
He added that the department had encountered similar cases in the past of which Indonesians were getting those tusks for dowry.
Augustine said they were monitoring closely the movement of elephants in the state to protect the species and people.
“The department has been in touch with enforcement personnel at several districts, non-governmental organisations and workers at the plantation areas.
“We will be notified as soon as possible when there are presence of elephants at their areas for us to take action.
“This is to prevent poachers from (coming in and) hurting them.”
Based on study by the department and World Wildlife Fund, there are 2,050 Borneo Pygmy elephants about 10 years ago.
“The population is about the same now as baby elephants can be seen at districts such as Kinabatangan, Kalabakan and Tawau.
“Among the causes of death of the species include being poached, poisoned, illness and fights among themselves.”
Meanwhile, the State Customs Department said it will investigate claims that the elephant tusk was smuggled to Indonesia via the Tawau checkpoint.
Its director Datuk Janathan Kandok said the department did not receive any information on the matter but assured it will be looked into.
“We conduct detailed inspection at the checkpoint to prevent prohibited items from being smuggled out.
“Probably, the item did not go through normal channel,” he said.
Tawau and Nunukan are connected by one or two daily ferry trips depending on the weather condition.