Public urged to report sale of exotic animals

THE Wildlife Division is seeking to "source" where wild and exotic animals and birds are being caught and later sold in markets at Jerudong Beach and Tamu Kianggeh.

The newly-established government agency called on the public to report anything they saw going on at Brunei's markets that could be illegal.

In an exclusive interview with The Brunei Times, senior wildlife officers, who asked not to be named, urged the public to cooperate with the agency to ensure the well-being of the Sultanate's animals and birds, particularly those protected by the law.

Senior officers said they were working on updating the Wildlife Protection Act, which was last amended in 1984.

They expressed concern about the sighting of exotic birds and animals being offered for sale at Jerudong Beach, Kianggeh Market and Serasa Beach, and said they would closely monitor the situation.

Officers also said the protected list of endangered species was being reviewed.

To curtail any kind of illegal trade in wild animals and birds, wildlife officers said they were looking to locate the "source", with the assistance of other relevant government agencies and non-governmental organisations.

Meanwhile, in an interview, Dr Joseph Charles, a biologist and senior lecturer at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, said unsustainable hunting and capturing would ultimately lead to local extinction.

"Many people don't understand that when they try to make a living out of selling wild animals, they will use up the resource," he said, adding that people who collected eggs or young birds or animals from the wild were risking the very future of those species.

Charles said two bird species that had recently been sighted for sale, the blue-crowned hanging parrot and the white-rumped shama, were being "over-harvested", which could lead to both species becoming "endangered".

"The white-rumped shama is over-harvested. People have been catching them everywhere (in Brunei).... In our neighbouring countries, the species are totally protected," he said.

Charles also said there was a need to protect predators such as owls and eagles, which balance the eco-system and act as a monitor of how the whole wildlife eco-system is faring .

Wildlife enthusiast Mohd Daud Abdullah, who is better known as "Jungle Dave", said that by buying wild animals and birds the public were creating a demand.

Jungle Dave said public awareness campaigns should be launched to spread greater awareness of the need to protect the country's wildlife.

He also said those who sold wild animals should consider working more closely with the Wildlife Division on perhaps farming species of high commercial value, to prevent them from being taken from the wild.

Jungle Dave also said much more research needed to be done on the sultanate's wildlife. "The problem in Brunei is that we don't fully know which animal is endangered and which is not endangered we just follow whatever we see listed by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) or in neighbouring country," he said.

Jungle Dave, who regularly explores the forests of Brunei, records the animals and plants he sees during his treks, which he hopes will help when it comes to amending the protected list of endangered species.

Meanwhile, non-governmental organisation Green Brunei's community engagement director Khairunnisa Ash'ari, said: "The domestication of animals is becoming a trend, so much so that sometimes we forget to appreciate wildlife in its natural beautiful habitat.

"Animals are being kept confined in small spaces that is almost cruel, restricting their freedom and growth. I hope that this trend will not escalate; people should be able to enjoy watching wildlife in its own habitat, and be able to share this beauty with future generation."

The Brunei Times