KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC) strongly condemns the irresponsible and inhumane torture that lead to the death of a pygmy elephant, in Sabah.
In a statement today, MPOCC commended the swift action of the Sabah Police, the Sabah Wildlife Department and others who had provided assistance leading to the arrest of the perpetrators within days of the sad incident.
On September 25, 2019, a pygmy elephant carcass was found riddled with about 70 bullet wounds at Sungai Udin close to an oil palm plantation.
Tawau district police chief Asst Comm Peter Umbuas had reportedly said the authorities have recovered the tusks that were sawn off the elephant.
Since October 2, 2019 the police arrested six suspects in the Felda Umas 4 area of Kalabakan in Sabah's south-western Tawau district.
One is a worker in the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) estate, while two others were hired to guard a plantation from elephant intrusions.
All six suspects are being investigated under Section 25(1) of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 for hunting a protected animal illegally. If convicted they could be sentenced to five years in jail and fined RM250,000.
Aside from that, police are also investigating them for possession of an illegal weapon under Section 8(a) of the Arms Act 1960 and the sole foreigner is being investigated for not having valid travel or work documents.
When asked if the plantation company had allowed its guards to kill the elephants, ACP Umbuas had reportedly replied the police are still investigating.
As the custodian of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification, the MPOCC aims to certify the entire oil palm industry in Malaysia.
MPOCC said its jurisdiction is applicable nationwide including the area where this alleged incident occurred.
The MSPO scheme has in place, provisions to deal with sustainable management of oil palm operation.
This includes an emphasis on protecting rare, endangered and threatened species, areas with high biodiversity value as well as areas identified for water and land conservation.
MPOCC, in its statement, reiterated, "as Malaysians, we need to strengthen our conviction that our valued wildlife species needs to be conserved to truly reflect our commitment towards the universal 5P’s of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership."
When contacted, a MPOCC spokesperson commented the implicated oil palm estate has yet to be MSPO-certified.
"As a general rule, plantation security guards are employed to safeguard the estate and its installations.
"This includes keeping away, not killing elephants or other protected wildlife species," the MPOCC spokesperson said in a telephone interview.