The distance environmental education programme is focused to inculcate knowledge about the importance of the oil palm industry and the conservation of wildlife habitat through the status of Bornean elephants in Sabah. It also positively enhances the young student’s mind to think about how we can coexist with nature. The programme also relates to the differences between the students in Sabah and Japan.

The idea of “How Human can coexist with the Bornean Elephant?” have been shared creatively through these posters by all the participants.

Thank you to all involved to make this programme successful: Borneo Conservation Trust Japan, Asahiyama Zoo, Ichikawa Zoo, S.K. Tampulan Telipok, Yagiyama Zoo, Hirakawa Zoo, S.K. St. Paul Kolopis Penampang, Fukuyama Zoo, Toyohashi Zoo, S.K. Penampang, S.K. Tanjung Aru 1, S.K. Tombovo, S.K.Tansau, En.Idris & ANGKASA, Puan Jumrafiah and all BCT Staff.

We look forward to conducting another session on this programme in the near future.

First Session [11th February 2023]
Participants: Asahiyama Zoo and Ichikawa Zoo, Japan & SK. Tampulan Telipok, Sabah

Second Session [20th May 2023]
Participants: Hirakawa Zoo and Yagiyama Zoo, Japan & SK. St. Paul Kolopis Penampang, Sabah

Third Session [15th July 2023]
Participants: Fukuyama Zoo and Toyohashi Zoo, Japan & SK. Penampang, SK. Tanjung Aru 1, SK. Tansau and SK. Tombovo, Sabah

The training provided by BWP was carried out from 4-12/04/2022 at three SWD rescue centres: Lok Kawi Wildlife Park (LKWP), Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SOURC), and Bornean Elephant Sanctuary (BES). It was an interesting event for the veterinarians, elephant keepers and elephant-related staff where they learned hands-on about proper foot care and the ongoing general elephant care. BWP also included preparation and the making of enrichment toys for the elephants in captive care at the three facilities.

The main purpose of this trip, which was fully funded by BWP and corporate donor Ms. Julia Riva, was to collaboratively conduct checks on all elephant feet health for elephants in captivity at LKWP, SOURC and BES with the assistance of elephant specialist, Robert Scholz (with over 25 years experience) from BWP in order to examine the elephants’ feet to cut out any cracks, trim their nails, and determine if there were any abscesses which needed to be treated. As the largest land animal in Borneo, the Bornean elephants can weigh up to 4-5 tons and will spend much of their time standing up, which is why foot care is especially important in captivity as these animals are not able to get the same exercise as they would in the wild where they would naturally grind down their nails.

Such on-site training will help to upgrade the skills of the elephant keepers in LKWP, SOURC and BES in husbandry management, daily elephant care, and the making of elephant enrichment tools and toys. This will indirectly improve the wellness of all the elephants in captivity in Sabah. The keepers will also be able to share such important knowledge and improve awareness of elephant husbandry among the general public.  This is just the first step to an ongoing professional educational program that BWP will be doing with the local vets and rangers of Sabah.  Their next visit this year will be an expert elephant veterinarian seminar.

The Sabah Wildlife Department is the government body for wildlife conservation and Borneo Conservation Trust is an NGO which aims to connect fragmented ecosystems to protect the biodiversity of flora and fauna in Sabah. As an NGO linked with SWD, BCT is the conservation partner for BWP on the island of Borneo, specifically in Sabah. BCT Executive Secretary Josephine Maluda stated that the training given by BWP was good exposure for the local elephant keepers, as well as expressing gratitude for donations from BWP including specialized tools for elephant care. BCT Chairman Datuk Dr. Laurentius Ambu said that he was glad the visit proceeded well after being delayed for two years due to the pandemic. 

Borneo Wildlife Preservation was founded in 2014 and is a publicly supported United States corporation registered in California and classified as a charitable organization. BWP is also a non-profit association registered in France since 2020 and is focused on supporting locally partnered wildlife organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to ensure the survival of the Bornean Elephants and to secure the biodiversity of Sabah Borneo. BWP founder Katerina Pirelli-Zucchetta said that they found this to be a very successful trip and felt that the workshops created a real sense of comradery among those involved. BWP hopes to have inspired the staff to stay motivated to create better lives for the elephants which may never be released back into the rainforests.

Shafie (centre) and Christina with Saraya Co. Ltd president Yusuke Saraya

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Haji Apdal said the group from Japan wants to ensure the wildlife that thrives at the Lower Kinabatangan can continue to be protected and propagate.

He said that the move by the group should be emulated and that he hoped more industry players were encouraged to play a role to look after the wildlife.

He added that villagers should not kill the wildlife just because they encroach into their land.

“It is not a licence to kill,” he reminded.

Meanwhile, the chairman of Borneo Conservation Trust Sabah, Datuk Laurentius Ambu said that they still needed 800 acres of land that would serve as wildlife corridors than links one forest to another.

The function of the corridor is to reduce the incident of humanwildlife conflict while allowing the wildlife to travel from one forested area to the other using the corridor.

He said that so far they only managed to get 20 per cent of land to serve as corridors in the Lower Kinabatangan.

At the same time, Shafie also commented on the recent murder of an elephant, allegedly by the officer and settlers of Felda.
“We have to take action,” he said.

He reminded that even though the animals encroached into their land, it is not a licence for them to kill the wildlife.
“There is the Sabah Wildlife Department,” he said.

Also present at the event are Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, the ministry’s permanent secretary Datuk William Baya, Saraya Co. Ltd president, Yusuke Saraya and Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga.

Meanwhile, Yusuke expressed support for Christina’s proposal to convert the Green Corridor (acquired land) into an Elephant Food Corridor for the benefit of future generations.

“This is an advancement from our original plan to protect and conserve wildlife in Sabah,” he said.
One of BCT Japan’s initiatives is the Green Corridor Project (20082019) which aims to connect small remaining patches of forest areas to create one large, continuous ecosystem.

Christina had reiterated that the proposed Elephant Food Corridor should serve to connect the key habitats (some of which are fragmented habitats) for orangutans, proboscis monkeys, Borneo pygmy elephants and other wildlife species (as just one Wildlife Food Corridor) in the Kinabatangan region. Some of these animals are on the brink of extinction.

She had also stressed that government leaders come and go but good policies should remain, adding, “Even if there is any change in the future, it should be for betterment”.

Source from: The Borneo Post (Sabah), 9 October 2019

Borneo Conservation Trusts (BCT) Honorary Secretary, Datuk Laurentius Ambu said that the endeavour was made possible through the collaboration between BCT, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) , Felda Global Venture (FGV) and the Batu Putih REDD+ community.

He said the e-fences , which were powered by solar panels have been very effective and was installed in December last year.

And, he also explained that the technology was not new and has been used in other countries where human-elephant conflicts were common such as India.

“Of course , it is also used by oil palm plantations” he said

The installation of e-fences was part of the FGV-BCT programme to support SWD to mitigate human -elephant conflicts that were common in the Kinabatangan region.

Speaking at the new BCT Board of Trustees appointment ceremony here yesterday, Dr Laurentius said the goal of BCT was to restore and improve the ecosystem within the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life, as well re-establish the connectivity between isolated forests in the region.

BCT has outlined six programmes and among them was its land management programme and research programme to support the development of carbon trading strategy in Kinabatangan.

At present , BCT has more than 200 acres of forest land which had been acquired through funding raised by Saraya and BCT Japan.

The area is used as key area for research development along with the FGV corridor (about 200 ha) and several other pilot project in the REDD+ project area.

“The aim of the programme is to improve forest connectivity in Kinabatangan ,Segama and the area near the transboundary corridor between Sabah (Malaysia) and Kalimantan (Indonesia)” he said.

Additionally, he said BCT also carried out its conservation programmes which, among others , involved protection mechanism , securing forests land as biodiversity corridor, restoration of degraded riparian reserve as well as mitigate human-elephant conflicts within the region.

Dr Laurentius said the local communities living in the Kinabatangan were enlisted to help in the monitoring activities.”However relevant capacity building will be provided to the communities to enhance their knowledge and skill monitoring biodiversity and illegal activities especially at the upper Kinabatangan, he said.

Meanwhile, former City mayor, Datuk Abidin Madingkir has been appointed as BCT new chairman , replacing Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok who served as chairman from 2013 to 2016.

Dr Laurentius retained his post as Honorary Secretary which he held since 2013 with Yusuke Saraya was appointed as treasurer.

Other appointed Board of Trustees were Sabah Wildlife Department Director Augustine Tuuga, FGV Chief international bussiness officer, Denys Collin Munang and the new appointed MPOC, CEO, Dr Kalyana Sundram.

Source from : New Sabah Times, 24.2.2017