stephanie lee The Star 24 Jul 18;
KOTA KINABALU: A juvenile male Borneo pygmy elephant has been shot dead in Sabah's central Tongod district.
The carcass of the elephant was found by wildlife rangers at about 7.40am Monday (July 23) near Kg Karamuak, Tongod, some 260km from here.
Sabah Wildlife Department public relations officer Siti Nur’Ain Ampuan Acheh said a team from the Kinabatangan Wildlife office was sent to investigate the matter on Tuesday (July 24).
She said they team also conducted a post-mortem at the scene to determine the elephant's cause of death.
"Some parts of the intestines were torn. There was a severe internal bleeding inside the abdomen suggesting several blood vessels were damaged," she added.
Siti said the cause of death was from hypovolemic shock due to severe internal bleeding caused by the pellet.
She said from the position of the injury and the trajectory of the pellet, it was highly probable that the elephant was shot from close range from an elevated position or from the back of a vehicle.
According to information gathered during investigation, a herd of elephants have been spotted in Kg Karamuak for the past one month.
Siti added that the investigation will continue to find the perpetrator.
Juvenile elephant shot dead in Tongod
Nancy Lai Borneo Post 25 Jul 18;
TONGOD: An elephant was found dead with a gunshot wound at Kampung Karamuak here.
This brings the number of elephants killed in Sabah to 10 this year.
A team of wildlife rangers from Kinabatangan Wildlife Office stumbled upon the carcass of the juvenile male elephant by the roadside at Kampung Karamuak here about 7.40am on July 23.
Sabah Wildlife Department public relations officer Siti Nur’Ain Ampuan Acheh said the wildlife rangers were returning home from carrying out elephant controls at Kampung Karamuak.
“The juvenile male elephant is about three to four years old,” she said in a statement yesterday.
She added that a team was sent yesterday to investigate and conduct a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.
The post-mortem team found a wound at the right rump of the elephant, she said, adding a pellet was inside the abdomen.
“Some parts of the intestines were torn. There was a severe internal bleeding inside the abdomen suggesting several blood vessels were damaged.
“The cause of death is determined to be hypovolemic shock due to severe internal bleeding caused by the pellet,” Siti Nur’Ain explained.
“From the position of the injury and the trajectory of the pellet, it is highly probable that the elephant was shot either from a close range from an elevated place or from the back of a vehicle.”
Siti Nur’Ain said according to information gathered during investigation, a herd of elephants had been in Kampungg Karamuak for the last one month.
“The investigating team will continue its investigation into finding the perpetrator of the killing,” she said.
Last week, a juvenile male elephant was found dead near an abandoned logging camp in the Kuamut Forest Reserve after it was believed to have been involved in a fight with a larger elephant.
On July 16 the carcass of a male elephant was discovered by plantation workers at an oil palm plantation in Ulu Segama, Lahad Datu.
The Wildlife Department found that the elephant had an injured foot, believed due to a snare trap.
At least eight other elephants have also been reported dead due to various reasons in Sabah between April and July this year.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has ordered state authorities to investigate the deaths of these endangered Borneo pygmy elephants.
Elephants are a Totally Protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Elephant found shot dead in Kinabatangan; third dead pachyderm in eight days
Bernama New Straits Times 25 Jul 18;
SANDAKAN: A young elephant was found shot dead at Kampung Karamuak, Tongod in Kinabatangan, yesterday.
The discovery brings to three the number of pachyderms found dead in the state in the span of just eight days.
The latest carcass was found by the roadside by a team of rangers from the Kinabatangan wildlife office, while they were returning from elephant control work at Kampung Karamuak at 7.40am.
The male juvenile elephant was estimated to have been between three and four years old.
A team from the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) was dispatched to the scene to investigate and carry out a post-mortem, its Public Relations officer Siti Nur’Ain Ampuan Acheh said in a statement.
A wound on the pachyderm’s right rump led to the discovery of a bullet lodged in its abdomen, she said, adding that parts of the intestines were torn.
"From the location of the injury and the trajectory of the (bullet), it is highly probable that the elephant was shot at close range, from an elevated place or from the back of a vehicle," she added.
Siti Nur’Ain said the department will continue to probe the case and find those involved in the killing.
On July 19, a male elephant was found dead near an abandoned logging camp in Kuamut Forest Reserve in Kinabatangan, after succumbing to injuries suffered in a fight with a larger elephant.
On July 16, another male elephant with a badly wounded foot was found dead in an oil palm plantation at Ulu Segama in Lahad Datu, believed to have been the victim of a snare trap.
Elephants in Sabah are a Totally Protected species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997. – Bernama
