KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's endangered wild cattle, the Bornean banting, has become a focus in the state's wildlife conservation efforts.
Conservationists and scientists from across the world are working together to study the relatively unknown cattle species found in the wilds of Sabah.
“The Bornean Banting Programme intends to advance our understanding of and conservation efforts for one of the most charismatic and still unknown mammal species,” said state Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu.
Dr Ambu, a member of the Asian wild cattle group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said his department was working with various partners to study the ecology of the endangered wild cattle.
“It is a long-term programme which aims to provide an insight into the ecology of this endangered wild cattle species,” he said, adding that the number of the cattle in Sabah was much lower than the number of elephants.
He, however, declined to give any estimates of the current population of the rare cattle.
“The results of this programme will assist our department to develop a state action plan for all banting across Sabah,” Dr Ambu told The Star.
Dr Benoit Goossens, director of the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), the department's field study centre located within the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, said there were fears that the Bornean banting might go extinct if nothing was done to conserve the species.
Conservationists and scientists from across the world are working together to study the relatively unknown cattle species found in the wilds of Sabah.
“The Bornean Banting Programme intends to advance our understanding of and conservation efforts for one of the most charismatic and still unknown mammal species,” said state Wildlife Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu.
Dr Ambu, a member of the Asian wild cattle group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, said his department was working with various partners to study the ecology of the endangered wild cattle.
“It is a long-term programme which aims to provide an insight into the ecology of this endangered wild cattle species,” he said, adding that the number of the cattle in Sabah was much lower than the number of elephants.
He, however, declined to give any estimates of the current population of the rare cattle.
“The results of this programme will assist our department to develop a state action plan for all banting across Sabah,” Dr Ambu told The Star.
Dr Benoit Goossens, director of the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), the department's field study centre located within the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, said there were fears that the Bornean banting might go extinct if nothing was done to conserve the species.
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