By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: A collaborative study has confirmed that the Bornean ferret badger (Melogale everetti) is found only in Sabah.
The study was conducted by the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Parks.
The research, published yesterday in the journal Ecology and Evolution, analysed data collected between 2021 and 2024 from 188 camera-trap stations across Sabah's western highlands.
The nocturnal species, which weighs about 1kg, was recorded more than 400 times during the study.
Researchers also discovered a previously unknown population in the Nuluhon-Trusmadi Forest Reserve, extending the species' known range eastwards beyond the Kinabalu-Crocker landscape.
"Despite the discovery of the Trusmadi population, the resulting maps indicate that suitable habitat remains largely confined to the Kinabalu-Crocker-Trusmadi mountain landscape, providing further evidence that the Bornean ferret badger is found only in Sabah.
"Although the researchers identified a somewhat larger range than previously recognised, the Bornean ferret badger remains one of Southeast Asia's most geographically restricted carnivores and appears to depend on a handful of mountain landscapes in western Sabah.
"The study also supports the species' classification as Endangered on the IUCN Red List."
WildCRU's Bornean Carnivore Programme director and the study's lead author, Dr Andrew Hearn, said the team had proposed naming the species the 'Kinabalu ferret badger' to strengthen its association with the landscape it calls home.
"The species may also offer opportunities for carefully managed nature-based tourism.
"Wildlife enthusiasts already travel from around the world to Sabah to experience its extraordinary biodiversity, and local communities, especially those from the Kinabalu EcoLink area, may one day be able to provide specialist wildlife-watching experiences focused on the Bornean ferret badger."
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