KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu government, together with the federal government through the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks (Perhilitan), is committed to addressing human-wildlife conflict, which not only damages crops but also poses a threat to residents’ safety.
State Tourism, Culture, Environment and Climate Change Committee chairman Datuk Razali Idris said that one of the measures taken was the construction of an electric fence system for elephants under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), at a cost of RM3.5 million.
“This electric fence system has been installed in three locations, namely from Kampung Lawit to (Kampung) Belukar Bukit in Hulu Terengganu, stretching 29.5km; Kampung Palong in Setiu, spanning 35km; and from Kampung Payung to (Kampung) Chalok Barat in Setiu, covering 25km,” he said at the Terengganu State Legislative Assembly sitting at Wisma Darul Iman here today.
He said this in reply to a question from Mohd Zawawi Ismail (PAS-Telemung) regarding the measures taken by the state government to address wildlife disturbances affecting people’s daily lives.
Razali said the government allocated around RM500,000 each year for the cleaning and maintenance of the electric fence system in the three areas to ensure it functioned properly and help minimise the risk of elephant attacks.
In response to Mohd Zawawi’s supplementary question about the factors contributing to the rise in human-wildlife conflict, Razali said that one of the main causes was logging activities, which posed a threat to wildlife habitats.
In addition, he said that crops grown by farmers and residents, such as bananas, had attracted wild animals like elephants, leading them to enter orchards and residents’ homes.
In the meantime, Razali said that following the incident in which farmer Musa Ahmad, 65, was killed from a suspected wild elephant attack in Kampung Basung, Hulu Terengganu, in October, a ranger team had been formed to monitor the village.
“This ranger team is chaired by the Hulu Terengganu district officer, with members including representatives from JPKK (Village Development and Security Committee), Perhilitan, PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police), and the villagers.
“It is a pilot project aimed at reducing the risk of attacks by elephants or other wild animals in high-risk areas,” he said.
