KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah and Sarawak have been urged to amend relevant provisions in existing legislation pertaining to wildlife to ensure more effective enforcement and stricter punishment for poachers.
Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar (pix) said that at the federal level, there was already a move in the same direction in the form of an amendment to the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 that would be tabled at the next sitting of the Dewan Rakyat.
However, he said, the proposed amendments did not cover conditions in Sabah or Sarawak.
He was commenting on the killing of another Borneo pygmy elephant at an oil palm plantation near Belarun, Sabah.
The pachyderm was found on Sunday with several gunshot wounds and its tusks missing.
Xavier pointed out that Sabah and Sarawak had their own legislation on protecting wildlife.
“But I would like the two-state governments to also adhere to the same law that we will bring to Parliament,” he said.
He told reporters at the Parliament lobby today that under the proposed amendments, the penalties for poaching would be enhanced.
