RANAU: Samples taken from the 14 Bornean Pygmy elephants’ carcasses found in Gunung Rara Forest Reserve will be sent to two different specialized centres overseas for a thorough chemical analysis
Toursim, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the analysis was needed after the preliminary test report from the Chemistry Department was inconclusive.
“The Wildlife Department has received the chemical test result but it was inconclusive and did not state clearly the elephants’ cause of death,” he told reporters when met after officiating at the Efficient Energy Programme at SK Randagong here yesterday.
“It is not because the test was not accurate but there were probably some factors (preventing a more thorough analysis) or details that have yet to be acquired,” he added.
Masidi said upon receiving the news, he had directed the Wildlife Department director to have a more comprehensive test conducted as soon as possible to properly identify the compound that poisoned the elephants.
He said he had also asked the department to acquire a second opinion from reliable experts to eliminate any doubts or suspicion of the result.
He added samples would be sent to the Poison Center at Mahidol University in Thailand and the Department of Agriculture, Fishery and Forestry of Queensland, Australia.
“We hope to get a clear answer from the test as both centres are known for their expertise in chemical analysis, and we will compare their results just to be sure,” he added.
Masidi said the initiative to have the sample tested overseas should not be viewed as belittling the local experts but should be seen as an indication of the government’s commitment to getting to the bottom of the tragedy.
What Sabah needed to do, he said, was to convince the world that it has exhausted all options available to get the most accurate tests as possible so that action could then be taken accordingly to prevent such incident from happening again.
“We do not want any suspicion of the result. We want it to be as conclusive as possible, that’s why we are doing this. We have nothing to hide and want to be transparent. We are as concerned as the rest of the world to resolve the problem,” he said.
He said the sample would be sent as soon as possible within this week and even delivered in person by the officers concerned if necessary.
In the meantime, he advised the public not make any wild assumption, noting there were already some quarters who suspected that plantation workers around the reserve were responsible in killing the animals.
Masidi said due to the magnitude of the incident and the stir it had caused both locally and internationally, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hamza Taib had personally given his assurance that the case would be investigated properly and speedily.
“The state police chief had contacted and informed me that their investigation would be completed in a few more days,” he said.
The carcasses of elephants were found scattered around FMU 23, a Yayasan Sabah Concessions, some 130Km from Tawau, with 10 of them discovered within a space of two weeks.