KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s (SFC) Swift Wildlife Action Team (SWAT) has been dispatched to Matu in the central Mukah Division of Sarawak, following the recent sighting of a Bornean clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis) there.
SFC general manager Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said the team would investigate the alleged appearance of the carnivore on a road in Matu, a video recording of which has gone viral on social media since yesterday.
“SFC views this matter seriously and has sent a SWAT team to assess the situation, which has gone viral on Facebook,” he said in a statement on the SFC’s official Facebook page.
According to him, SFC takes the daylight discovery of the nocturnal wildlife, which is categorised as fully protected under the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998, with great interest and concern and advises residents living near the location to be more vigilant and avoid any close interaction.
“Wildlife is an invaluable asset and their protection is a shared responsibility,” he said.
Abang Arabi said the discovery of the clouded leopard during broad daylight and in an area close to humans indicated the possibility of habitat disturbance or a lack of food sources in the surrounding forest clusters.
However, SFC views this exciting discovery as a positive indication that Sarawak is still a natural habitat for wild animal species that are fully protected.
“This proves the success of the Sarawak government’s continuous efforts through SFC in preserving and protecting the state’s biodiversity,” he said.
In the viral video, the clouded leopard appeared to be non-aggressive and was seen eating scraps on the road during the day and did not react to the family who filmed it from their car while passing through the area.
Bernama’s search on the internet found that the Bornean clouded leopard is a nocturnal mammal included in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with its population estimated at only around 3,800 in the archipelago.
