In mid-1998, Manser offered an end of hostilities with Sarawak government if Sarawak chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud would be willing to cooperate with him to create a biosphere around the Penan tribe's territory.
Manser planned to deliver a lamb named "Gumperli" to Taib Mahmud by air as a symbol of reconciliation with the chief minister during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration.