Malaysia: Elephants flee logged forests

Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 15 May 12;

RAMPAGE: Villagers in Machang near Machang forest report massive damage to their crops

KOTA BARU: THE state Wildlife Department said rampant logging at the Bukit Bakau forest reserve in Machang is driving elephants into nearby villages.

Its state director, Rahmat Topani, said the department received about 80 reports from villagers whose rubber smallholdings and fruit orchards were damaged by elephants this year.

He said villages such as Kampung Pek, Kampung Cherang Hangus, Kampung Lepan Rambai and Kampung Pangkal Petai were among more than 10 villages in Machang that were under threat from the elephants.

"The farmers are shocked by the extent of the damage to their smallholdings and orchards.

"Hordes of elephants enter their farms almost everyday. The villagers have not seen such rampages since they settled in the villages about 50 years ago."
Rahmat said the elephants usually came out of the jungles between evening and early morning.

"Logging, either legal or illegal, has forced the elephants to roam into the villages in search of food."

He said rangers would monitor the elephant movements and drive them back into the wild if the animals were found in the villages.

"I advise the villagers against going out at night or going deep into the forest as precaution against elephant attacks."

About 1,000 people in the affected areas had called on the authorities to take action to solve their problem.

Kampung Cherang Hangus village security and development head Zulkifli Mat Nor said villagers who conducted checks on the logging activities believed that the loggers had encroached into areas outside their concessions.

He said logging, which started several years ago, became widespread last year as there was no inspection by the authorities such as the Forestry Department and Department of Environment.