Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is horror-struck at the trigger-happy action of the Jabatan Perhilitan wildlife officers in Kerteh in the killing of a female bear with two bullets to its head.

Such an act is viewed as totally unacceptable especially by the very department whose role is to conserve and protect wildlife, not annihilate it.

SAM condemns the shooting made without the slightest regard for the fact that bears are totally protected and seriously running out of living space in their forests. Furthermore, with the opening of new land schemes to development and agricultural activities, bears, along with other endangered species like tigers, are forced out into the open thus coming into conflict with man.

With the destruction of thick forests and indiscriminate land clearing, there are no suitable forest areas to ensure that bears get proper food and shelter. The abovementioned bear had to die through no fault of its own but only on the belief that it was dangerous and posed a threat to the locals thus the need to finish it off.

Rather than imposing 'death sentences' on bears, it is hoped that the department will seek expert views on capturing the bears alive. It is also time the department took a serious look at the root causes of the bear-human conflict.

Clearly there is a lack of political will to save even the most protected species Parks and reserves remain merely on paper and there has been no effort to study the impact of human encroachment and violations of protected areas.

Protected areas are demarcated according to political considerations but it should be borne in mind that animal populations live beyond political boundaries and in some cases, outside of these protected areas.


The writer is the president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia.