ALOR STAR: The state Wildlife and National Parks Department is ready to act against wild animals such as wild boars and monkeys in Kampung Padang Ubi and its surrounding areas to alleviate residents' problems.
Its director, Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim, said, however, they have yet to receive any complaint of wildlife disturbance from residents in the area.
He urged the residents to lodge official complaints directly with the department so that they can facilitate prompt action.
"We will conduct operations to shoot wild boars and monkeys in the area if they are found to be threatening the residents.
"However, we will first inspect the village to assess the suitability before proceeding with the shooting operation.
"This is because we are concerned about the risk of bullets hitting village residents, especially children in the area," he said today.
Jamalun Nasir added that if shooting is deemed unsuitable, they will set traps in areas where the wild animals are known to roam.
It was reported today that more than 2,000 residents of Kampung Padang Ubi, Kampung Patong and Kampung Petani claimed that the presence of wild animals, including monkeys and wild boars, has increased, and led to their crops being damaged.
It was reported that residents have noticed a sudden increase in wild animal activities over the past eight months.
The Village Head Council previously lodged complaints with the relevant authorities, but to date, no action has been taken.
Some orchard owners have resorted to setting up their own traps to prevent wild animals from damaging their crops.
In a related incident, two brothers, aged 2 and 3, are in critical condition after consuming crackers laced with rat poison.
The poison was hung on a fence 50m from their home to stop wild animals from damaging the crops.