A special committee will be set up to tackle buffalo thefts which have affected the breeding of the animal in the state.

Deputy Chief Minister Yahya Hussin said it was time such a committee was set up to allow stern action to be taken to solve the problem.

He said the committee would comprise the Veterinary Services Department and the Sabah Veterinary Service and Livestock Industry Department (JPHPT), as well as other agencies including the police.

“Buffalo theft is becoming serious and making a negative impact on the livestock industry and buffalo population here,” he told reporters after visiting the Telupid Buffalo Research and Breeding Centre today.

Yahya, who is also Agriculture and Food Industry Minister, said livestock breeders were no longer interested in breeding buffaloes following the increasingly rampant theft of the animal.

He said requests from breeders for studs from the Animal and Livestock Breeding Department (JHPT) were also declining.

“They say they are no longer interested in breeding buffaloes because some have fallen victim to theft while others are worried it may happen to them in the future,” he said.

Earlier, JPHPT assistant director Dr Pudimin Abdullah, in a briefing during the visit, said there were 250 buffalos at the centre for breeding, especially to provide studs to breeders in the state.

He said the centre, which was opened in 1979, was the biggest breeding and research centre in the country spanning 640 hectares.

He added that the centre focused on the breeding of local species such as Swamp Buffaloes, Riverine Buffaloes and Sulawesi Buffaloes.

- Bernama