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Sabah Wildlife Department via AFP - Getty Images
A baby pygmy elephant stands beside a dead adult in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state.
Ten endangered pygmy elephants have been found dead in suspicious circumstances in Malaysia, according to reports.
Sen Nathan, head veterinarian at the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Sabah state on the island of Borneo, said officials "highly suspect" the animals were poisoned, but tests are still to be carried out to determine whether they were deliberately harmed, BBC News reported.
"It was actually a very sad sight to see all those dead elephants, especially one of the dead females who had a very young calf of about three months old. The calf was trying to wake the dead mother up," he said, according to the BBC.
Nathan added the elephants, aged between four and 20, were believed to be from the same family group.
Malaysia’s The Star newspaper said the first elephant died on Dec. 29 and the last was found on Jan. 24.
The paper reported that the dead animals were found in an area that it described as an “industrial tree plantation.”
The Star said it was not known how the elephants had died, and noted it was possible they had eaten poisonous plants or pesticides.
The BBC cited Masidi Manjun, environmental minister for the Sabah area, as saying it was “a sad day for conservation and Sabah.”
Sabah Wildlife Department via Reuters
Malaysia's wildlife officials inspect a dead pygmy elephant.
Conservation charity WWF runs an “adopt a pygmy elephant” campaign.
According to its website, the animals are found “only on the northeast tip of the island of Borneo, and inhabit forests near water sources and grasslands. “
“Borneo pygmy elephants are smaller than other Asian elephants, chubbier, and have bigger ears and tails,” it said. “They eat roughly 300 pounds of food daily—mostly roots, grasses, leaves, bananas and sugar cane.”
WWF estimates that there are possibly as low as 1,600 individuals in the wild.
“The top threats to pygmy elephants are habitat loss and conflict with humans,” it added.
Related:
Orphaned elephants find sanctuary in Kenya amid rampant poaching
Leave a Comment:
Oh please, please, find the bastards that did this. Seeing that baby elephant standing beside a dead adult is one of the saddest things I've seen in a long, long time.
I hope they find whoever did this dispicable thing to these innocent elephants and when they do they should be poisoned and left to die they way these elephants were. Most of human race cares of nothing except for their own selfish needs - this planet is for all creatures, not just humans. May those who poisoned these elephants not only die a horrible death but suffer in hell for eternity.
Sad. So very sad.
Should it be proven that humans are responsible for this travesty, the welt of anger within me will explode. IMO, the death penalty would be appropriate for those responsible for this heinous crime.
This makes me so mad and sick seeing humans being so cruel or ignorant leaving 10 fantastic creatures left for dead. There are so many ignorant and uncaring people in this world leaving me feeling people are not like they use to be and will never look at many the same way. I take care of the cities feral cats as there are so many that are simply dumped out like trash in wooded areas. Someone just left a six month old cat tied up in a doubled up garbage bag and one day to a week someone found it after it spent 6 days trying to claw its way out. After taking it to the vets it had warn its front paws off from wanting to get out so bad. Good news is it will be Ok and was adopted. How does someone go home and sleep at night after spending the time to be so cruel to a 6 month old kitten.
Just another example how sick people are.
God Bless those elephants and the baby one left alone!
They were found in an "Industrial tree plantation"? Well that isn't hard to figure out. Talk to the owner of the plantation I think that is where the answer is. Greed knows no bounds. Man is the most destructive and Maniacal killer on the planet. Nothing comes close to man for Brutality.
If these animals were poisoned and find out this was carried out by a person and they can catch this low life scumbag they ought to take him out in public view and execute the SOB and tell everyone else this is what will happen to you if you try the same thing.
Yes, so sad to see the calf trying to wake its mom. In a very small way, everyone can help by clicking on
www.therainforestsite.com
“The top threats to pygmy elephants are habitat loss and conflict with humans,”
There is no conflict... they make it sound like the elephants have a choice in the matter.
It should say... “The top threats to pygmy elephants are humans and humans” Since we are the biggest threat to the planet.
What type of monsters would do such a thing; all for the sake of a dollar? My heart is breaking and I feel helpless; but this is what happens when money enters the heart and hands of greed people.
When the well dries up than what is going to happen? To kill all the wild animals for the sake of money then what is going to happen when they are all dead?
There is nothing "mysterious" about the death of these elephants. Greed and wanton destruction of the environment and some poison are the causes.
Where is Ace Ventura when you need him? Seriously though what kind of sick individual would do something like this...
Earth First News, a sad day for our planet. We support the ALF defending our planet and the beings on it. fah451bks.com / blogs at fah451bks.wordpress.com / pinterest.com/fah451usedbooks
When is the rape and pillage going to stop. Shame on the human race for not caring for our planet.
How sad...I cannot fathom any valid reason why this happened...other than greed. I doubt if the poachers will ever be found, let alone prosecuted. It makes me sick.
The poachers are no doubt connected to the industrialized tree plantation.
So very hard to be reminded of how hard life is becoming for ALL Gods creatures due to Humans.
So very sad to again be reminded of the cruelities of Humans towards Gods creatures, we are suppose to care for this world not destroy it.
How very sad some one would do this :( Breaks my heart i hope who ever commited this discusting act burns in a fire.....
My fellow citizens! The baby is the hope! We're it's mother. Let's work together!
So sad, there is no respect for life.
Human beings are such a parasite on this planet not only to the animal kingdom but to our own species as well.
Ah you have to love the low life blacks that teeder on the bottom of the food chain!!!!!!
Very very sad!!! If it was mans doing then I hope they catch the culprits, skin them alive and use their skin for shoes or back packs or better yet, make an elephant shelter from the culprits human skin!
I think we need to thin the heard of pathetic human beings!!!!!
It was probably accidental. And it may not even be related to humans in the area. Let's reserve judgment until more information is received and knock off the armchair detective work.
Whats going to happen to that poor baby....those poor elephants. Its hard enough to keep endangered alive without some jackoff ruining it all.
This was likely a palm oil plantation. And it is likely the plantation owners purposely poisoned the elephants because they are considered a nuisance. They eat the plants that they are trying to harvest. Palm oil is found is SO many of our foods, especially processed foods. Read the labels on your food and DO NOT buy anything with palm oil in it. If you do, you are supporting what you see here and you are supporting deforestation which is what is killing our planet. Sustainable palm oil is ok, but I just avoid it altogether.
As the demand for palm oil increases, forest is being cleared to make way for plantations, tearing into the heart of elephant habitat and forcing distressed Asian elephants out of the forests and into conflict with humans.
Sorry, Olivia, but how is this any different than American farmers clearing thousands of square miles of native grasslands to plant soybeans and corn? Should we avoid anything with soy or corn, too?
I'm an American living in Malaysia and have actually done research on the palm oil industry here because I work in the media here. Let me enlighten you:
Malaysia has decreed that fully half of all agriculturally zoned land in the nation will remain under permanent forest. Oil palm trees, which have about a 25- to 30-year economic lifespan, are a net carbon sink. That is to say, they absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (and produce oxygen) over their lifespans than is required to plant and cultivate them. The yield from a single hectare of land under oil palm cultivation is about 4,500 liters of oil -- that's 10 times the yield from soybeans. The palm oil industry provides direct employment for over 500,000 people and, in Malaysia and Indonesia, has literally lifted millions out of desperate poverty.
Here's my point: Malaysians have just as much right to farm their lands as Americans and Europeans. It's all too easy for Americans to sit on their little thrones of judgment about habitat destruction in other countries... but how much native grassland in the central US is gone forever, replaced with vast tracts of corn? How much forest land in the South has been buried under asphalt and cities? The area of metro Atlanta alone could sustain innumerable forest species... if only they hadn't built a city there! And think about all the forestlands that were wiped out to plant olive trees in Spain, Italy, and Greece. And don't even get me started on the vineyards throughout France, Germany, and... well, any more of a dozen other countries.
I'm deliberately exaggerating, of course, but it's an important point to make: The fact that Malaysia has made a concerted effort to set aside so much of the agricultural land here to remain under permanent forest should be applauded. Malaysia, as a developing nation, is actually relatively conservation-minded. There is, for example, a total nationwide ban on the sale or possession of all marine turtle products. There are elephant rehabilitation sanctuaries and orphanages. There is a comprehensive orangutan facility in East Malaysia (Borneo island). There are multiple coral restoration and protection programs in coastal areas. Sipadan island, one of the world's premier dive sites, is under strict protection by Malaysia -- divers cannot even stay on the island, and permits must be arranged long in advance, and visits are controlled and limited... all in an effort to preserve and protect the marine ecosystem. As for the elephants in Borneo, they too are strictly protected under Malaysian law. If a person is found guilty of harming or killing these animals, the offender can be fined RM50,000 and imprisoned for five years.
I would also add that it's unlikely that a pygmy elephant could reach the fruit on an oil palm tree (it's usually 12-14 feet above the ground, so I'm not sure oil palm plantation owners would consider them a particular threat or nuisance. I've seen these plantations and there are plenty of wild animals roaming around them quite freely. Until the actual cause of death of these poor elephants can be determined, it's pointless to rush to judgment.