Malaysia investigates the deaths of dozens of rare Rare Elephants in Sabah

- Authorities of Malaysia are investigating the deaths of dozens of pygmy elephants belonging to rare and protected species in the Borneo forest.Some of the stunted elephants were found dead with gunshot wounds to their bodies.

Mentioned by the Director of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Augustine Tuuga, to Thursday (08/30/2018), that at least 25 dwarf elephants died in the territory of Sabah , Borneo this year.

"This is the highest number recorded so far," said Augustine referring to the number of dwarf elephant deaths every year.

Added Augustine that more than 100 other dwarf elephants died in Sabah in the last eight years.The WWF conservation group estimates that only 1 500 remaining dwarf elephants remain.

Pygmy elephants who have faces like baby elephants, have big ears and long tails that hang.Pygmy elephants can be found in Borneo or Kalimantan, which is divided into three countries, namely Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam.

Habitat loss is the biggest threat to the survival of dwarf elephants.The rise of deforestation and the rapid expansion of oil palm plantations have contributed to the declining population of dwarf elephants.

Not a few dwarf elephants die in the hands of hunters or get caught in traps that are intentionally installed to catch them.

Local authorities have not been able to find the exact cause of the high number of dwarf elephant deaths this year.But Augustine said most dwarf elephants were outside the forest and more often inside the plantation area.

The latest death of dwarf elephants in Sabah occurred on Saturday (25/8) local time.At that time, wildlife authority officials found the carcass of a female dwarf elephant that had rotted inside the local plantation area.The dwarf elephant had a gunshot scar on its temples.

Before that, two other dwarf elephants were reported dead as a result of being shot and several others died from injuries sustained after being caught in a trap.

According to Augustine, it is not easy to arrest and try the killers of these dwarf elephants.Especially because of the remote location and lack of information and eyewitness information.Augustine said that there were absolutely no witnesses who appeared despite the stipulated reward of 120 thousand Ringgit (Rp. 427 million).

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Wildlife deaths going on for years

SAHABAT Alam Malaysia (SAM) is shocked to learn of the deaths of six pygmy elephants, aged between 1 and 37, between April 6 and May 20. These deaths have been happening for years.

Elephants are not an exception because the killing of turtles and sharks made headlines in the previous year. This is reflective of the poor protection measures by the authorities.

That the slaughter is happening frequently can only mean that those entrusted with the task of protection are not doing enough.

Those responsible for the killings have not been charged, and the cause of death of the pygmy elephants and others has yet to be established.

Most killings end with unresolved investigations.

The deaths of these elephants have put a negative spotlight on Sabah.

Sadly, Malaysia is sacrificing its pygmy elephants, of which there are fewer than 2,000 in Borneo.

Every year, elephants are found either shot dead or poisoned in Sabah, though the public often hears nothing about it.

It is clear that the authorities have not done enough to prevent the death of pygmy elephants or to hold those responsible for the deaths.

Although an action plan has been developed for the conservation of the Bornean elephants, implementation has been seriously wanting.

But there is a glimmer of hope now that the government has changed hands.

SAM is delighted to learn of the actions of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in taking action to stop the deaths of Sabah’s wildlife.

To save our pygmy elephants — the world’s smallest known pachyderms — the forest of Sabah must be restored.

At the very least, wildlife corridors must be created to allow elephants to move from one fragmented patch of forest to another, preventing them from becoming trapped in a forest island.

Other measures include creating more national parks.

SAM calls on the government and the wildlife authorities to prevent more deaths of Sabah’s wildlife.


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Stop sacrificing our pygmies for palm oil

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is shocked to learn of the death of six more pygmy elephants, deaths which have been happening ad nauseam for several years now.

Elephants are not an exception because the carnage to turtles and sharks has been making headlines in the previous year, which is reflective of poor government protection. That the slaughter is happening frequently can only mean that those entrusted with the task of protection are not doing enough.

So far those responsible for these kills have not been charged, and the cause of death of the pygmies and others have yet to be established. Most killings end with unresolved investigations.

Knowing how critically endangered the pygmy elephants are, the stakes for this species’ survival are too high for incidents of this sort to happen again. The same can be said for the many other animal species which are currently fighting to survive in Sabah which is plagued by palm oil production.

While the palm oil industry’s crippling blow to the orangutan species is monumental, the industry has the blood of other species on their hands as well.

The news of the deaths of these elephants has put a huge negative spotlight on Sabah. Sadly Malaysia is sacrificing its elephants for palm oil.

Recognising the high demand and huge profits that are associated with palm oil, the industry has stopped at nothing to produce as much of this commodity as possible. With the expansion of deforestation and the proliferation of palm oil plantations, elephants are finding it difficult to find food and thus are forced to feed on the fruits of the palm oil plant.


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6 pygmy elephants found dead in Sabah in recent weeks

KUALA LUMPUR: Six Borneo pygmy elephants have been found dead in oil palm plantations in Sabah in recent weeks, officials said Monday, the latest of the endangered creatures to perish as their rainforest habitat is devastated.

The carcasses of the elephants, aged between one and 37, were discovered at different locations in Sabah, local Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga told AFP.

“We are currently conducting tests on their internal organs,” he said, adding the carcasses did not have any signs of gunshot wounds.


Tuuga said the elephants could have accidentally consumed fertiliser in the palm oil plantations, which could have poisoned them.

The Star newspaper, citing conservationists, said the creatures might have drunk from poisoned watering holes.

There are about 2,000 pygmy elephants, the smallest type of elephants in Asia, in the wild. Late last year, three were killed by poachers.

In 2013, 14 pygmy elephants were found dead in Sabah and were thought to have been poisoned.

They are threatened by widespread logging of their natural habitat to make way for lucrative oil palm plantations, and are targeted by poachers as their ivory fetches a high price on the black market.

The pygmy elephants are baby-faced with oversized ears, plump bellies and tails so long they sometimes drag on the ground as they walk.


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Call to set up elephant-friendly zone to resolve human-elephant conflict in Sabah

TELUPID: Establishing an elephant-friendly zone with easy access for Bornean pygmy elephants to look for food can help tackle the problem of these animals intruding into settlements. …Maybe (we) need to establish an elephant-friendly zone here where there is easy access (for the wildlife) to get food such as bananas and grass, among others,” he said. Establishing an elephant-friendly zone with easy access for Bornean pygmy elephants to look for food can help tackle the problem of these animals intruding into settlements. Forever Sabah project coordinator Claudia Lasimbang also shared a similar view about setting up an elephant-friendly zone, adding such projects were aimed at identifying suitable locations for wild elephants to roam. “The creation of an elephant zone will encourage the rehabilitation of selected areas with food sources and elephant safety as priority,” she said.


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Another Pygmy Elephant dies from Gunshot Wounds in Sabah

Bornean pygmy elephants are facing existential threats in Sabah and so the death of any more wild elephants in the state is bad news. Yet just over the past few months several wild elephants have been shot dead by poachers or irate plantation workers.

Now another wild elephant is dead. The bull elephant, which was around six years old, had been shot and ended up succumbing to his injuries before staff at the Borneo Wildlife Sanctuary in Kinabatangan, where he was taken for treatment, could save him.

“During the examination, a bullet slug was found lodged in its injured front left leg,” explained Augustine Tuuga, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department. “There were also sign of gunshots on the body but they did not penetrate or cause any internal organ injury.”

The pachyderm also suffered an injury to his tongue, likely from a gunshot. “While undergoing medical examination and treatment, its tongue was found to have serious wound, believed to have been caused by a gunshot,” the director said. “The wound on the tongue made the elephant unable to eat or drink.”

The department’s rescue unit captured the elephant on November 24 at a plantation in Ladang Pertama after he had been reported to be acting aggressively towards locals in the area. He was showing signs of an injury on his left front leg. After tracking the wild elephant for some time, officials managed to capture him and took him to the wildlife sanctuary for treatment. But by then it was too late for the animal.

It remains unknown who shot the elephant, but the likelihood is that it was an irate plantation worker. “We will investigate the case further as it involves the death of a totally protected species,” Tuuga said. The elephant’s death is especially egregious as it comes shortly after another bull elephant was found dead with three gunshot wounds at a large plantation in Tawau, where another male elephant was also killed last month, bringing the tally of dead elephants, all shot dead, to three within the space of just a few weeks.

And so it goes: plantations have robbed wild elephants in the area of their natural habitats, severely reducing their roaming grounds. As a result, many of them can’t help but wander onto plantations, where they then encounter locals who look askance at the pachyderms feeding on crops. Some of these locals take matters into their own hands and shot the animals.

“When elephants come into conflict with people it is a battle in which the gentle animals are destined to lose,” observes SM Mohd Idris, president of the conservationist group Sahabat Alam Malaysia. “Those responsible for land clearance are highly aware of the increased risks of elephants coming into conflict with people and the subsequent fatalities that may arise,” he adds. “Many plantation owners and farmers now see elephants as enemies, yet it is humans, not the pachyderms, who are responsible for this situation.”

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Elephant Spotted Wandering Near Houses In Johor Village Stirs Fears Among Villagers

Residents of Kampung Lukut in the Kota Tinggi district of Johor are scared of a wild elephant that has taken to wandering near their houses since earlier this month.

So far, there have been six encounters between the animal and the villagers which usually happened at night, between 9.00 p.m. to 12.00 a.m.

One resident, Azman Husin, 38, said the elephant came near to his house on Sunday night, but fortunately no property was damaged. His neighbor managed to record footage of the animal using his phone.

“The residents have lodged their complaints to the authorities for further actions,” he said to Bernama.

His friend, Roslan Dahalan, 52, said he hoped that authorities would take the matter seriously even though no property has been damaged yet.

“We are worried that the tragic incident of an elephant causing a villager's death in Ladang Tunjuk Laut previously would happen here as well.

“Help us and please return them to their original habitat,” said Roslan. He was referring to an incident in 27 June, when a 33-year old Indonesian, Sofian Adi, was found dead at Ladang Tunjuk Laut, Tanjung Sedili, who is believed to be trampled by a wild elephant.

According to acting village chief Amran Saari, 53, the elephant has even entered into a nearby rubber plantation owned by the Malaysian Rubber Board (LGM). A few rubber trees have been destroyed, believed to be caused by the animal as elephant footprints are located nearby the trees.

Director of Johor Wildlife Deparment (Perhilitan), Jamalun Nasir Ibrahim has received report from Kampung Lukut residents about an adult elephant that is wandering around the village.

“I am confident the elephant is separated from its herd, believed to live near Panti forest which is around three kilometers from the village,” he spoke to Bernama in Johor Bahru.

Human-elephant encounters are not rare in Malaysia, and in some cases, have even resulted in the death of either party.

On 19 June, a two-year old elephant was found dead in a pool of blood by the roadside of the Gerik-Jeli highway, believed to be hit by a car.

In December 2011, Australian-based Jenna O’Grady Donly was killed by a pygmy elephant when she were trekking with her friends in Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Sabah.

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Tusks seized in Kalimantan may have come from two dead Jumbos in Sabah

As often, science can come to the rescue. This time for determining whether pygmy elephant tusks seized a few days ago in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, belonged to two male pachyderms that were recently killed in Sabah.

Indonesian officials stopped a woman who was carrying five elephant tusks in Nunukan in North Kalimantan last week, and Malaysian officials suspect that at least some of those tusks might have come from the two elephants that were found dead in Sabah in late December last year. One of the elephants, nicknamed “Sabre,” made headlines worldwide just a few moths prior for its tusks, which had been growing backward in a downward arc.

Malaysian officials now want to have DNA tests conducted on the tusks seized in Indonesia to see if the tusks had come from Sabre and the other male pygmy elephant killed recently in Sabah. “So far, we don’t know exactly where the tusks could have come from,” said Augustine Tuuga, director of Sabah’s Wildlife Department. “It can only be ascertained when the Indonesian wildlife authorities had taken a statement from the person or conduct a DNA analysis to compare them with the specimens of animals killed in Sabah,” he added.

The wanton murder of the two endangered animals has enraged conservationists and animal lovers far and wide, especially since both were killed within a protected area in Kinabatangan. The two elephants were found 1.5 kilometers apart, both with bullet holes in their skulls, indicating that both animals had likely been killed by the same poacher or poachers. The state’s Wildlife Department offered a RM10,000 reward to anyone who could assist officials in tracking down those involved in the elephants’ death.

Over the past years and decades, the number of Malaysia’s pygmy elephants has dropped precipitously, exposing the tuskers to the threat of extinction in the wild. The pachyderms have seen large parts of their ancestral habitats lost forever or else badly fragmented as vast swathes of forest have been cut down by loggers and palm oil cultivators.

Elephants need ample space for roaming far and wide as they forage for food. Because of the loss of their natural habitats, however, they have ended up coming into increasing contact with humans who have been encroaching on their habitats. This has increased the risk of conflicts between elephants and people. Sadly, poachers, too, have been gaining easer access to wild elephants owing to the relentless shriveling up of forests.

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10 rare pygmy elephants found dead in Borneo

Ten endangered pygmy elephants have been found dead this month in Malaysian Borneo and are thought to have been poisoned, conservation officials said Tuesday.

A pygmy elephant calf can be seen on Malaysia's Borneo island in this image provided by Malaysia wildlife authorities on January 21, 2012. Ten endangered pygmy elephants have been found dead this month in Borneo and are thought to have been poisoned, conservation officials said Tuesday.

Wildlife authorities in Sabah, a state on the eastern tip of the island, have formed a taskforce together with the police and WWF to investigate the deaths.

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Borneo pygmy elephants, planters battle for land

Niluksi Koswanage, Reuters
February 23, 2009

SUKAU, Malaysia (Reuters Life!) - Deprived of access to his favourite food, a pygmy elephant trumpets furiously and charges at wildlife officials, a manifestation of this rare species' battle against Malaysia's key palm oil industry.

Some herds of pygmy elephants, an endangered species according to conservation body the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), are thriving on the fruit of palm oil plantations that encroach on their domains on Borneo island.

This has intensified the challenges to a mainstay of the economy in this South East Asian country of 27 million people, and the aggression the elephants show against humans.

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