RECENTLY, classified as critically endangered the race is on to save banteng – the iconic buffalo of Borneo known as Banteng (Bos javanicus).
Speaking to local media recently, the Sabah Wildlife Department director Roland Nuin said the state had implemented an action plan – the Bornean Banteng Action Plan for 2019-2028 – in the race to save the majestic and rarest buffalo species in Southeast Asia.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”3″ ]“Though, near extinct, there is still hope for the critically endangered banteng or wild buffalo said Nuin. However, to first understand issues concerning the banteng in the state, the public needs to know that its recent classification as ‘critically endangered’ reflected a decline in its population across the species.
“Banteng was listed as critically endangered because, throughout its range state, the population has declined. But it doesn’t mean that our conservation efforts have slackened,” he said.
According to him, efforts to conserve the species began in good time and early. “Many initiatives are ongoing in Sabah, especially on protection through enforcement activities within the habitats of the banteng,” he added.
“One notable success is the food planting initiative in Tabin, Lahad Datu, which has led to a doubling in the number of calves over the past few years.”
The big mammal was previously listed a tier lower, as endangered, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It was revealed that this was caused by non-stop poaching and habitat loss.
With an estimated global population decline of more than 80 percent of the species, the past two decades have prompted a negative status shift in the banteng.
The current total global population of banteng is estimated at 3,300. The scale of decline varies between populations, but overall, an expert assessment suggested that the global banteng population had decreased by 81 per cent over the past 21 years.[/ihc-hide-content]
