FRESH MEAT ... This makeshift stall in Ulu Baram is one of the many openly selling wildlife meat, some of them from the protected species.

CATCH OF THE DAY ... Hunting for own consumption may be allowed but still enforcement is needed to sustain the animal population.

MARUDI - All indications point to an increasing number of wildlife being hunted for food to satisfy the craving demand for wildlife meat here if the many makeshift stalls used to sell wildlife meat here is anything to go by.

"And if there is nothing done to prevent this illegal activity, I believe that within a year all the protected species of animal and birds will cease to exist," say a volunteer with the Wildlife Protection team, Kelawing Jok, during an interview here Monday

He said that the authority should conduct more talks and awareness campaign to get the people, especially those living in the vicinity of the Mulu National Park, to understand the need to conserve our wildlife before it is too late.

Kelawing is also of the opinion that the Wildlife Ordinance should be strictly enforced to totally ban hunting of protected species such as the Kenyalang (hornbill), some rare species of animals and plants. They could also increase the manpower for effective enforcement.

He said that the matter would not have been so bad if hunting was done only by the local people and for their own consumption.

The main culprits he said were timber workers on 4WD vehicles, armed with proper hunting gear supplied by some businessmen to hunt wild animals for their meat, skin and horn.The long logging tracks work to their advantage.

Kelawing believed that there is a syndicate behind the hunting and smuggling of protected animal and plant species from the National Park given the high demand from both black and open markets.

He said the local people, the Penans especially, did not hunt everyday. "True, they need to supplement their diet with meat for protein but it takes one family of five three days or even a week to eat one killed animal," he said.