Malaysia: Captured elephant ‘persuaded’ to leave forest

Sarban Singh The Star 25 Feb 11;

SEREMBAN: It needed the “persuasive” skills of three female elephants and the experience of their mahouts to get a four-tonne wild male pachyderm out of the Gapau forest reserve here.

The male elephant, nicknamed Buyong by villagers and believed to be in his 40s, had initially refused to budge despite being shot with a tranquilliser by National Wildlife and Parks Department (Perhilitan) officers yesterday.

The three female elephants – Chek Mek in her 50s, Timor and Kala (both in their mid-30s) – had been brought in from the National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah, Pahang, and were taken to the place where Buyong had been tied since his capture on Sunday.

They were then brought together to allow the rangers to secure them with chains.

The Asian elephant (elephas maximus), which has an estimated population of 1,200 in Peninsular Malay­sia, is usually found in the jungles of Johor, Pahang, Kelantan, Tereng­ganu, Perak and Kedah.

Perhilitan’s elephant management unit head Nasharuddin Othman said despite having lived in the wild, Buyong was not as aggressive as initially thought.

“We had to bring in the experienced Chek Mek, who has been helping us relocate wild elephants since 1979.

“She does not need to be ‘told’ much,” he said, adding that she had been used to relocate some 500 wild elephants.

He said Timor and Kala had been trained for similar rescue efforts over the past year and seemed to be frightened of Buyong initially.

“But Chek Mek was around to calm them down,” he said.

Nasharuddin said Buyong, which was bigger than the three female elephants, would be relocated to the Tasik Kenyir section of Taman Negara in Terengganu.

State Perhilitan director Mohd Zaide Mohd Zain said the last time a wild elephant was caught in the state was in the early 1990s.

He said 25 officers were involved in yesterday’s relocation exercise.

Villagers in Kampung Gagu contacted his officers on Feb 15 after spotting Buyong in the area.

Wild elephant lured out of forest reserve
New Straits Times 25 Feb 11;

KUALA KLAWANG: Buyung Gagu, a wild male elephant named after Kampung Gagu, near here, was successfully lured out of the Gapau forest reserve by National Parks and Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) officers yesterday.

The capture of the 30-year-old elephant comes as a relief to villagers whose crops have been destroyed by the four tonne Asian elephant.

The capture was made possible with the help of Perhilitan's gajah denak, or elephant guides -- Che Mek, Kala and Timur.

The operation to remove the elephant, which will be released in Taman Negara Tasik Kenyir in Terengganu, began at 9.30am and involved 20 staff from the state Perhilitian and the National Elephant Conservation Centre (NECC), from Kuala Gandah, Pahang.

NECC deputy director Nasharuddin Othman said the wild elephant was shot with a tranquiliser gun to ensure the safety of the elephant, rescue members and a smooth operation.

"It went smoothly and the elephant was not aggressive though it was chained and was coaxed by Che Mek, Kala and Timur into a lorry," he said after the four hour operation was completed.


Also present were state Housing and Local Government, New Villages and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Siow Chen Pin and state Perhilitan director Mohd Zaide Mohamed Zin.

"The last time an elephant was captured here was in the 1990s in Gemencheh. I believe this elephant was separated from that group and found its way to Jelebu.

"The construction of the Sungai Teriang dam and the hilly jungle terrain is not suitable for the species to forage for food," said Zaide.


Meanwhile, Siow said the elephant had been damaging crops and uprooting trees in the village for the past two years and was last sighted by villagers on Feb 15.

"The company which is building the dam near the village also helped in the operation by making an accessible road for the team to go into the jungle and capture the animal."