Malaysia: Captured elephant sent off to Belum State Park

S. Ista Kyra New Straits Times 21 May 12;

JUMBO TASK: Efforts ongoing to move others to reduce conflicts with villagers

SUNGAI SIPUT: A wild elephant captured near Kampung Jalong here was relocated to the Royal Belum State Park yesterday.

The female elephant, believed to be between 10 and 12 years old and weighing 1.5 tonnes, was transported by lorry on the five-hour journey at 5pm, a week after it was caught near the perimeter of the Piah Forest Reserve.

A team of 27 men from the state Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and National Elephant Conservation Centre took two hours and used two tame elephants to lure the wild pachyderm onto the lorry, 300m from where it was caught.

The elephant was from a herd of nine other elephants spotted in the area two weeks ago.

Head of the Elephant Unit under the National Elephant Conservation Centre, Nasharuddin Othman, said the capture was part of efforts to reduce conflicts between elephants and people in the area.

Nasharuddin said since January, there had been a rise in complaints from residents living in Kampung Jalong and Kampung Jaya Setia nearby, who suffered losses after their crops in their plantations were destroyed by roaming wild elephants.

"We will continue with our efforts to capture them to reduce the number of elephants in the area.

"By doing so, we hope to also lessen the extent of damages to crops and villages nearby," he said when met at the site here.

He added that work to build an 18km electric fence had started to prevent wild elephants from the Piah Forest Reserve straying to nearby villages, smallholdings and plantations.

He said the captured elephant was a "sub-adult" and looked to be in good health.

Nasharuddin said the animal, which had been subdued with tranquilliser to aid in relocation operation, was treated for superficial flesh wounds and fitted with a radio collar before being released.

"Since it is a young female, we believe it would be easily accepted by existing herd elephants in the Belum forest reserve."

Nasharuddin said the previous operations to capture elephant in the area was carried out in 2008.