Report of the Second Workshop on The Biology and Conservation of ...

proactive in engaging more staff and upgrading <strong>the</strong>irskills to facilitate <strong>the</strong>ir work on marine mammals,particularly in Sabah and Sarawak. Severalefforts have been made to establish MPAs thatwill include <strong>the</strong> protection <strong>of</strong> animals and <strong>the</strong>irhabitat (seagrass and mangrove areas), namely<strong>the</strong> proposed North Borneo Marine Park in Kudat,Sabah and Lawas Mangrove National Park inSarawak. Small populations <strong>of</strong> dugongs andinshore cetaceans are known to occur within <strong>the</strong>seareas.There is also an effort to raise public awarenesson conservation <strong>of</strong> marine mammals. The maintarget group is <strong>the</strong> people living in rural areas.Folk attitudes and interactions with marinemammalsIn East Malaysia, <strong>the</strong> dugong is locally known asduyung, which means mermaid. Many older folksbelieve that <strong>the</strong> animal originated from humanbeings (Jaaman and Anyi 2002b). Sometimes,it is also known as babi laut (sea pig) or lembulaut (sea cow). The majority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Bajau Laut inSabah reported that landed dugongs are primarilyslaughtered for <strong>the</strong>ir meat. Historically, cookedor grilled dugong meat was a necessity for <strong>the</strong>irimportant celebrations, such as weddings. Besides<strong>the</strong> economic importance <strong>of</strong> dugong meat, olderpeople in Sabah and in Limbang Division, Sarawak,commonly believe that certain parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dugongcan be used for o<strong>the</strong>r purposes. The “teardrops”reportedly may be used as a love potion to win awoman’s heart. The tusks and bones have beenused by traditional medicine men to treat asthma,high fever, internal pain, and eyesight deficiency,and as amulets to guard fruit orchards and o<strong>the</strong>rcrops against wild boars.Many fishermen believe that dolphins are babywhales or fish. Some Bugis fishermen in Tawaubelieve that dolphins originated from a humanwho was cursed because <strong>of</strong> trying to steal ProphetSulaiman’s ring. Some Malay and Melanaufishermen in Kuching believe that it is a bad omenwhen a “white dolphin” (Indo-Pacific humpbackdolphin) is found at sea while fishing. They thinkthat when a white dolphin leaps out <strong>of</strong> water, itportends rain and thunderstorms. “Masap” refersto times when dolphins swim around <strong>the</strong>ir boatsand frighten <strong>the</strong>m. On 29 April 1999, three BajauPelauh (sea nomads) were arrested by <strong>the</strong> policein Semporna, Sabah for killing 12 spinner dolphinsthat were to be served as a delicacy in a weddingparty and used as dowry for <strong>the</strong> bride. They weresentenced to 12 months in prison. Some BajauPelauh village headmen confirmed that it is part<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir old tradition for an adult to go out andhunt a dugong, dolphin, or a whale, at least onceto demonstrate his manhood.Never<strong>the</strong>less, many o<strong>the</strong>r fishermen in Sabah andSarawak believe that dolphins are friends <strong>of</strong> manand should not be harmed in any way. Many localvillagers along <strong>the</strong> main estuaries believe that<strong>the</strong>re could be crocodiles in <strong>the</strong> water if <strong>the</strong>y havenot seen Irrawaddy dolphins entering rivers forquite some time.Description <strong>of</strong> existing research programsIn 1996, <strong>the</strong> Borneo Marine Research Unit (now afull-fledged Institute) <strong>of</strong> Universiti Malaysia Sabah(UMS) took steps to initiate marine mammalresearch in Malaysia, culminating in development<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Marine Mammals and Whale Shark Researchand Conservation Programme with <strong>the</strong> objective<strong>of</strong> conducting applied studies as well as creatingpublic awareness <strong>of</strong> endangered animals in <strong>the</strong>country. Research has focused on <strong>the</strong> populationstatus <strong>of</strong> dugongs and inshore cetaceans and<strong>the</strong>ir interactions with humans, particularly in EastMalaysian waters.The program is currently supported by two IRPA(Intensify Research Priority Areas) grants from <strong>the</strong>Ministry <strong>of</strong> Science, Technology and Environment50 CMS Technical Series Publication Nº 9 - 2005