KOTA KINABALU: Further investigations are needed to determine if the elephant tusks seized by Indonesian authorities a week ago in North Kalimantan belonged to the two pygmy elephants killed in Sabah last month.
State Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said this today, following Indonesian media reports that officials had stopped a woman carrying five pieces of elephant tusks in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, a week ago.
The reports said the tusks were believed to be from Malaysia.
Officials at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine station at Nunukan however released the woman but the tusks, valued at Rp 100 million (RM33,200), have been seized and sent to higher authorities in Tarakan.
“So far, we don't know exactly where the tusks could have come from.
“It can only be ascertained when the Indonesian wildlife authorities had taken a statement from the person or conduct a DNA analysis to compare them with the specimens of animals killed in Sabah,” he said in a statement.
Augustine added that he hoped the Indonesian authorities would conduct a thorough investigation into the case.
Last month, Sabah Wildlife and Danau Girang Field Centre had discovered two elephant carcasses, found 1.5 kilometres apart, were slaughtered for their ivory near a forest reserve in Kinabatangan.
The state had also offered RM10,000 reward to those who could assist the department in catching the culprits responsible for the killing.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun had also said the government would mull for less publicity on unique wildlife.
He added the publicity on one of the elephants, including ‘sabre’, the rare pygmy elephant with downward tusks might have attract poachers to the state.