KOTA KINABALU: Another Borneo Pygmy elephant carcass has been found at Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, two days ago.
This brings the total number of dead elephants to 14, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun told reporters after launching a Japanese Food Fair at 1Borneo near here yesterday.
He said the elephant was believed to have died some two weeks ago, gauging from the condition of its body.
“This is sad news….it is a nightmare as so much effort has been made to protect and conserve animals such as the Borneo Pygmy elephants in Sabah. The number of deaths is considered huge because we don’t have that many of these elephants left. At the site concerned, there are only 1,000 elephants left,” he said.
Masidi said the Borneo Pygmy elephants were already gazetted as totally protected species.
“We have declared the species as a totally protected species this January,” he said. With the status upgrade from Part 1 Schedule 2 of the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 to Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the same enactment, those found killing an elephant will be have to go to jail for between six months and five years.
The status upgrade was part of the objectives in the Sabah Elephant Action Plan 2012 – 2016.
However, Masidi stressed that while having the law upgraded was an important step towards protecting the species, the people of Sabah too must play their part in the protection of elephants.
“It is important for them to realise that the elephants are their property and it is their responsibility to care for them. Even if we have our enforcement, I don’t think it will be as effective (without the assistance from the public),” he said.
Masidi urged those who have information on what transpired to come forward.
“If you are reluctant to report to Sabah Wildlife Department, you can contact me directly. You can even put it on my facebook and I will ensure appropriate action…I hope the public will provide a tip-off so we can arrest the perpetrators,” he said.
He said he had asked his permanent secretary Datuk Michael Emban to head a task force to investigate the death of the elephants.
He commended the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) for their RM10,000 reward offer for information leading to the arrest and successful conviction of those responsible for the deaths of the elephants.
Meanwhile, the orphaned elephant calf rescued from Gunung Rara Forest Reserve was yesterday reported to be adapting to its new environment at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.
The three-month old calf has been put under the care of Augustine David and was nicknamed ‘Baby Joe’.
“This is a positive development for Baby Joe, who has lost its mother during the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve tragedy,” he said.
He added that the calf was placed near other elephants at the park and also commented that usually, it takes several months for elephant calves to get used to their new environment.
Baby Joe weights 120kg and arrived at the park on Tuesday.
Veterinarian, Rosa Sipangkui, when met said the calf was given a litre of milk on an hourly basis to help with its development.
“We assume that Baby Joe is still traumatised since it is still small and needs more attention.”