Illegal to use poison to kill wildlife

PETALING JAYA: Using poison to deal with human-wildlife conflicts is against the law, say ecology activists.

Citing the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010, Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia president and chief executive officer Andrew Sebastian said those facing high frequencies of wildlife conflicts should seek the authorities’ help instead of taking matters into their own hands.

“Using poisons to deal with animals is an outdated and inhumane practice.

“There are many other avenues to resolve the issue. Using poisons that kill indiscriminately is never the way to go,” Andrew said in an interview yesterday.

He also expressed sympathy over the recent case where two young brothers in Kedah died after eating crackers laced with rat poison.

“This serves as a bitter lesson for everyone. These methods are illegal and harm people, wildlife and the natural environment,” he added.

On July 7, two brothers aged two and three years were hospitalised after eating crackers hung on the fence of a nearby garden, believed to be used to trap monkeys, in Labu Besar in Kulim, Kedah.

Both brothers have since passed away.

Andrew also called for businesses near areas with known wildlife populations to allocate a budget to handle human-wildlife conflicts.

“The cost of doing business should include setting aside expenses for wildlife matters,” he said.

Malaysian Nature Society president Vincent Chow proposed concerted interdepartmental efforts to tackle human-wildlife conflicts.

He noted that rural communities may not consider the aftereffects of using poisons and that they merely aimed to control factors that may affect their livelihoods.

“Hence, if they see something deemed a pest, they will naturally think of methods to solve the issue,” he said.

Chow also emphasised the importance of collaborations between the Agriculture Department and Wildlife and National Parks Department to educate communities on less harmful methods to tackle human-wildlife conflicts.

“The best course of action is to contact the authorities and let them handle it. Do not take matters into your own hands,” he said.

Given its less harmful nature, Chow also proposed using sirens to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.

In June, four elephants in Johor died after allegedly being poisoned.

Last year, stray dogs at Pantai Cherating in Pahang were also feared to have died from poisoning.

Over the years, there have also been various reports of Borneo elephants suspected to have died from poisoning.

The species, also known as the pygmy elephant, is primarily found in Sabah.

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