KOTA KINABALU: The police discovered suspicious materials at the site where 14 Borneo Pygmy elephants were found dead at Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Tawau last month.
State police commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib, however, declined to comment on the type of materials but said the police had sent them to the Chemist Department for further investigation.
“Investigation is still ongoing and the materials found at the site have been handed to the Chemist Department for further action,” he said at a press conference at the state police headquarters in Kepayan here yesterday.
According to Hamza, the police took down statements from villagers, logging companies and plantation workers around the forest to assist in the investigation.
The police also collected water samples from the nearby rivers for analysis, he said.
Hamza said the case is currently being investigated under Section 429 of the Penal Code, for committing mischief by killing animals. The culprit faces a maximum jail sentence of five years.
Fourteen Borneo Pygmy elephant carcasses were found in the middle of last month and their deaths were believed to be due to poisoning.
A total reward of RM50,000 has been offered by the State Government (RM40,000) and MATTA (RM10,000) for vital information on the elephants’ deaths.