T.N. Alagesh New Straits Times 12 Aug 13;
NOT EASY: It takes planning to carry out task, says Pahang Perhilitan
KUANTAN: The Pahang Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has brushed aside claims that it was dragging its feet in capturing elephants that had destroyed oil palm plantations and fruit trees in villages here over the past several months.
State Perhilitan director Khairiah Mohd Shariff said the department had acted swiftly after receiving reports from villagers by deploying rangers to check on the elephant sightings at the villages or forests.
She said the two methods used by the department was by chasing the elephants further into the jungle into its original habitat or by conducting translocation, a last step to ensure the elephants did not return to disturb the villagers.
"Perhilitan will usually seek help from the state Elite Elephant Capture Unit in Lanchang, which will send rangers to track the animals.
"We have to be careful with the ground conditions where the operation is carried out and study the landscape in the surrounding areas before moving in to capture the elephants.
"For example, when the elephants gather near a river, our rangers cannot just shoot them without proper consideration, as they may fall into the river and drown."
She said Perhilitan had responded to the villagers' complaints as the elephant attacks were described as harmful and posed a threat to humans.
A Perhilitan ranger said it was impossible for the department to trace and capture the elephants in a short span of time as it required planning.
"Some villagers expect the department to tranquilise the elephants and complete the task overnight but what they fail to understand is that it could lead to untoward incidents.
"Capturing an elephant is not an easy task.
"Rangers will have to track down the elephants and before firing the tranquiliser dart guns, they need to check on the landscape and weather as this could make the operation tricky.
"If the location is surrounded by trees, then the rangers will have to lure the elephant to a certain distance before they can bring it down.
"Sometimes, a path has to be cleared in the forest to allow a lorry, which will later transport the animal, to come closer," he said, adding that it takes between five and 10 days to complete the translocation operation.
Recently, some villagers had complained that they suffered heavy losses after several hectares of plantations were destroyed by elephants.
