Borneo Exotic Wildlife: Trapped And Displayed As Status Symbol

[Sun Bear. Source: Wikipedia]

As if the plundering of tropical forest for its precious timber is not enough already to spoil the pristine Borneo jungle!

Rich businessmen or towkays in Sarawak, the biggest Malaysian state on Borneo Island, are paying good money to native trappers to trap endangered and exotic animals to be displayed in their homes — of all things — as status symbols.

Black market

The Star newspaper reported that the activity had also spawned black market for endangered animal in certain part of of the state.

Quoting Borneo Resources Institute, an environmental-conservation and native rights group Borneo Resources Institute, the newspaper reported that:

Its Sarawak coordinator Raymond Abin told The Star that middlemen pay trappers well to hunt and capture the wild endangered animals alive and unhurt to be sold at high prices to rich men in towns who wish to display the animals in cages and chains.

Sun bear died in a cage

This new trend only worsens the plight of wild animals already on the protected and endangered list after being hunted for their meat, especially those believed to have medicinal properties, he said.

Among the most sought after exotic animals for display are endangered mammals such as bears, rare monkeys, rare birds and even rare reptiles.

The same newspaper reported recently about a sun bear that died after it was kept in a tiny cage for more than six months for display to tourists at a private farm along the Miri-Bintulu Second Coastal Highway recently.

A private farm was said to have a variety of animals including sun bears, macaques and gibbons.

He said the Sarawak Wildlife Department and Sarawak Forestry must find out how the farm owner got the sun bear.

“Unless the link is uncovered and severed by the authorities, this wildlife trade will not stop.”

Enforcement officers scared of the tycoons

And here is just how powerful the riches are:

Sources said yesterday the farm belonged to an influential property developer and the wildlife department officers were afraid to interrogate him.

Might as well Borneo cease to be exotic!