Sabah Wildlife officials nurse injured pygmy elephant

Ruben Sario The Star 23 Jan 12;

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife officials are ushering in the year of the dragon by nursing an abandoned Borneo pygmy elephant calf rescued at a plantation in the east coast Lahad Datu district.

Describing the rescue as a Chinese New Year miracle, state Wildlife Department director Lauerentius Ambu said the several-weeks-old elephant was suffering from massive dehydration as well as numerous cuts and abrasions when it was pulled out from a moat yesterday.

“Our Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarian and rangers managed to give it a massive amount of fluid and treated the wounds,” he said.

“Though the baby elephant's condition seems to have improved, it is still not out of the woods yet.

“It will still need critical and constant care for it to further improve and survive.

“Presently we have a veterinarian and four staff giving round-the-clock intensive care.

“If the baby can survive for the next 72 hours, its chances of pulling through will also be better,” Lauren- tius added.

He said the rescue of the calf was a significant event as in Sabah there were only some 2,000 of the elephants left in the wild.

Laurentius said the elephants faced severely fragmented habitat due to agricultural and human activities.

“Human-elephant conflict has increased with more of these mammals being killed and orphaned elephants rescued,” he added.

Wildlife Department veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said the calf was likely to have been left behind by its herd after it was unable to pull itself out from the moat.

Baby elephant rescued
Sabah rescue unit monitoring animal
Kristy Inus New Straits Times 23 Jan 12;

AN abandoned male baby elephant, believed to be a few weeks old, was rescued by the Sabah Wildlife Department's Wildlife Rescue Unit at a plantation, about 40km from here, on Saturday.

Calling it the "Chinese New Year miracle", the team said it was alerted by the plantation workers who found the baby elephant in a deep moat and unable to move.

"Elephants are one of the best mothers in the animal kingdom. They do not abandon their babies.

The baby elephants are not only cared for by the mother but also by older siblings and other adult females in the herd," said unit head Dr Sen Nathan.

"The baby elephant was found to be severely dehydrated and had cuts and abrasions on its body.

"Veterinarian Dr Diana Ramirez and the rangers administered large amounts of intravenous fluids and treated the wounds."

Dr Sen said although the baby elephant's condition had improved, "it is still not out of the woods yet".

"It would still require constant care to improve in health and survive.

"A veterinarian and four staff are providing the baby elephant with 24-hour intensive care.

"If the baby elephant can survive for the next 72 hours, it has better chances of pulling through."

The population of Borneo Pygmy elephants in Sabah is dwindling fast, with only 2,000 left in the wild.

Its habitat is affected by agricultural and human activities, hence an increase in cases of elephants being killed and orphan elephants rescued.

The Wildlife Rescue Unit focuses on rescuing and translocating wildlife in Sabah. Last month, the team members assisted in the helicopter rescue of a rare female Sumatran rhinoceros here.