The Star 21 Feb 10;
KINABATANGAN: Age and gender have been found to dictate the movement of Bornean elephants in the wilds of the Lower Kina-batangan Wildlife Sanctuary (LKWS).
These were among the initial findings of a study being conducted on three elephants, that were fitted with satellite collars two years ago, in an effort by experts to help minimise elephant and human conflicts.
“The data we have obtained so far shows that Bornean elephant movements in the wild varied between male and females,” according to researcher Nurzhafarina Othman, who is carrying out a study on the social behaviour of the elephants.
The elephants were fitted with the satellite collars in a joint project carried out by Sabah Wildlife Department, Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and French non-governmental organisation, Hutan.
“We placed one collar on a male bull, which we named Gading as he only has one tusk, and another on a female identified as being a matriarch, named Benina.
“The final collar is on a younger female named Bod Tai that had been collared previously by WWF-Malaysia,” said Nurzhafarina, who is based at the DGFC.
Meanwhile DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said: “It is crucial to know if there is any traditional or common routes used by the elephants at LKWS.
“This will help the wildlife managers to identify important areas within the sanctuary to establish wildlife corridors for the animals,” he added.
