World Pangolin Day to highlight sunda pangolin conservation

Events such as KeTAMU hope to raise awareness about Totally Protected Sunda pangolins which are becoming rarer due to illegal hunting. -NSTP/ELISA PANJANG

By Olivia Miwil - February 12, 2020 @ 3:39pm

KOTA KINABALU: The World Pangolin Day, to be held this Saturday, will focus on the conservation of sunda pangolin (manis javanica), the most widely distributed pangolin species in Asia.

Themed ‘KeTAMU 4 Pangolins’, the two-day event at Laman Seni, here, is being organised by Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), in collaboration with Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Art Gallery, Sabah Cultural Board, Sabah Tourism Board, Sabah Parks and Danau Girang Field Centre.

LEAP director Cynthia Ong said the this year's highlight will be on the sunda pangolin.

"Raising awareness is part of ongoing efforts by various stakeholders to hopefully secure the future of these amazing animals.

“Pangolins need all the help they can get," she said in a statement, today.

Meanwhile, Sabah’s very-own pangolin researcher and ambassador Elisa Panjang said the World Pangolin Day, celebrated internationally every year, is meant to draw the people's attention on the critically endangered and most trafficked mammals in the world.

“There will be interactive chats about pangolins, storytelling and games for children at the KeTAMU, as well as presentations on pangolin conservation.

"The KeTAMU provides a great opportunity to reach a large audience including school children, tourists and the general public.

"Ending the trade in wildlife including the consumption of wildlife meat can also potentially help to resolve the transmission of diseases from animals to humans, currently a major global issue,” she said.

Pangolins are considered totally protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 and it is illegal to hunt, kill or sell them.