New Straits Times 30 Jun 12;
JERANTUT: After living in fear of elephant attacks for months, more than 30 villagers in Kampung Tuit, near here, are finally relieved when a bull pachyderm was captured by the Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) rangers on Thursday.
Perhilitan sent 12 workers to catch the 13-year-old elephant about 1.30pm. The animal was believed to have been separated from its herd.
State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said it was believed that the elephant had come from the Tekai forest reserve near the village.
"Because of its frequent encounters with humans, the elephant was quite tame and easy to capture.
"Before this, we have tried to force it back into the jungle, but it would always return to the village to look for food."
Khairiah also commended the villagers for not injuring the animal, which had been wandering in the village and eating their crops for months.
She said Perhilitan staff from the elephant sanctuary in Lanchang would relocate the animal to a more suitable place, far from human settlements.
Villager Sulaiman Abdullah, 30, said many of the villagers had stumbled upon the elephant in their orchards and banana plantations.
"Although the animal was not aggressive during daytime, we were afraid that it might attack us at night."
