Tawau, 5th November 2019 - The police's Tiger Platoon will be joining Sabah’s wildlife rangers in its war against poachers and traffickers, Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said.

He said the platoon under the General Operation Force (GOF) will be deployed to carry out patrols together with the Sabah Wildlife Department and Sabah Forestry Department rangers to act against poachers.

“This is a declaration of war against wildlife criminals,” he told reporters after giving out certificates of appreciation to 16 personnel from the 14th Battalion of the GOF in Tawau, yesterday.

He said that he had given the order to all five GOF battalions in Sabah as well as those in Sarawak to go all out in their fight against poachers and those trafficking in wildlife.

“We are seeing success in peninsular Malaysia through a series of arrests of foreign nationals (from Cambodian, Thailand, Vietnam) and locals with the elite squad Senoi Praaq (under two GOF battalions) helping Perhilitan dan Forestry Department to catch illegal poachers,” he said.

Sabah Wildlife Department is grappling with poaching and trafficking of its wildlife amid recent deaths of three endangered Borneon pygmy elephants in the last five weeks.

Credit: The Star