TAWAU: The Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) rescued a baby civet of the mangrove civet species (pic) – a protected animal – after it strayed into a residential area in Kampung Budaya Pasir Putih here Friday.
Daily Express learned that the civet was around nine months old and had likely wandered from its natural habitat in search of food.
During the operation, a five-member APM Tawau team led by Operations Chief SM (PA) Norhaya Suardi arrived at 4.37pm. The operation was called off at 4.45pm.
Initially, the civet was seen in the back area of a villager’s house near the kitchen before it attempted to escape when approached, leaping onto the neighbouring house.
However, the quick action of the APM Tawau team led to the successful capture of the animal, which was later found hiding under a staircase before being taken to the Tawau District Civil Defence Office (PDPA).
The civet’s presence attracted dozens of curious children who gathered to watch, but they were later asked to disperse to avoid startling the wild animal or causing panic.
The complainant, who is also the house resident, Siti Fatimah Madung, 43, said she noticed the civet’s presence at around 2pm while hanging out laundry before attempting to chase it away.
“I contacted the Kampung Budaya Pasir Putih Tawau Community Organisation (Penggiat) Chairperson Kasruniyaty Rully for assistance because I was worried about my family’s safety.
“We then decided to call the 999 emergency line to request help from APM Tawau as we had never encountered a wild animal like this before,” she said.
Fatimah expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the swift response of APM Tawau and the concern shown by Penggiat, saying it brought great relief to her family.
For the record, the mangrove civet is among Sabah’s protected and endangered wildlife species, facing population decline due to rampant hunting and widespread destruction of mangrove forests.
