KOTA KINABALU: Orangutans are unlikely to kill people, said Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga today.
In fact, he said, the primates in the wild would naturally stay away or hide upon seeing humans in the forests.
"It is their instinct not to go near people whom they may perceive as a dangerous species.
"The same goes for other wildlife such as monkeys and other animals in the wild," he told the New Straits Times.
Augustine, however, said, there might be a possibility that an orangutan would attack if it was being provoked when one threw stones at it or tried to injure it.
He added that there was no report of people being killed by orangutans so far.
"There were cases where people had been injured at Sepilok (Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Sandakan), but it was merely being bitten by the animal and they had minor injuries.
"Furthermore, unless you go to Kinabatangan, forest areas or zoo, it is unlikely for humans to stumble upon an orangutan," he said, adding that there were about 11,000 orangutans in Sabah based on a survey done in 2000.
In Sabah, orangutan is a fully protected animal as listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
The issue cropped up following a video clip of Plantation Industries and Commodities minister Zuraida Kamaruddin who was heard saying that: "In Malaysia, if you see an orangutan, it will kill you first, not you kill the orangutan first, correct?"
The footage which was recorded at the Malaysian Palm Oil Council's 2022 seminar and dialogue on Jan 5, had gone viral on social media since.