Hazsyah Abdul Rahman New Straits Times 6 Oct 18;
LAHAD DATU: A herd of 40 elephants stormed into an oil palm plantation at Ulu Segamat here, with one of them injured believed to be due to a snare trap.
Sabah wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said the department was alerted of the presence of the elephants and one of them was believed injured based on the rope trap that was seen on its front leg.
“A veterinary team has been deployed to the location to capture the elephant so that treatment can be administered. However, we have yet to ascertain the actual location where the elephant was hit by the snare trap,” he said when contacted, today.
He said the wildlife personnel were carrying out monitoring with the help of plantation workers, adding the group was monitoring the movement of the 40 elephants.
According to Tuuga, the elephants entered the plantation during the day but exited to the neighbouring Mesuli forest reserve during the night.
“So far some crops have been damaged and our personnel will will try to prevent more damage (of crops),” he said.
Tuuga also noted in order to avoid human-elephant conflict in the plantation area, the elephants needed to cross Sungai Segama to return to Ulu Segama forest reserve.
Elephants 'playing hide-and-seek' with Sabah wildlife rangers
muguntan vanar The Star 6 Oct 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah wildlife rangers are having trouble locating 40 Borneo Pygmy Elephants which encroached into a plantation in Lahad Datu near here, in their efforts to lead the herd back into the jungle.
The herd of elephants, one of which was injured by a snare trap, have split up and are literally playing and "hide and seek" as rangers together with plantation workers try to stop the animals from destroying newly-planted and young oil palm trees in the plantation.
"Elephants enter the plantation at daytime and move into the nearby Masuli Forest Reserve at night.
"The elephants need to be driven across the Segama river to return to the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve," Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said on Saturday (Oct 6).
"Elephant control is still being done by Lahad Datu. The elephants have caused damage to newly-planted palms as well as old ones. The amount of damage has not been assessed yet.
"It is a difficult job since the elephants have split into several groups," he said.
Wildlife rangers have been in the area since Thursday after receiving a report from the plantation's management about the elephant intrusion.
Tuuga said that one of the elephants has a snare wound on its left front leg.
"We are sending another team with a veterinary officer to catch the animal and treat the wound," he said.
However, he said that the elephant was ensnared somewhere else and believes that it came from an area nearby where many snare traps have been found.
Jumbo effort for rangers herding elephants back into the Sabah wild
The Star 6 Oct 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are underway to drive back a herd of about 40 Borneo pygmy elephants into a forest reserve after they encroached into a plantation in Sabah’s east coast Ulu Segama area.
A six-member team of rangers have moved them back into the forests to ensure the jumbos were not hurt and also to minimise any damage to the plantation.
State Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said their officers were monitoring the operation closely and that all efforts were being made to ensure the elephants were unharmed.
On Thursday, the elephants were spotted at the Transkina Plantation while foraging for food.
Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew said forest rangers were following the trail to prevent a the elephants from getting shot.
Liew said she was being updated on the development from time to time.
“The rangers are doing their best to protect these elephants,” Liew, who is also the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister.
Some 25 Borneo pygmy elephants have died this year alone for various causes, including human-elephant conflict and poaching.
The elephants, numbering around 1,500 to 2,000 in the Sabah’s wild, are a protected species.
Pygmy elephant herd driven back into forest after straying into plantation
muguntan vanar The Star 5 Oct 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are underway to drive back a herd of about 40 Borneo pygmy elephants into a forest reserve after they encroached into a plantation in Sabah's east coast area of Ulu Segama in Lahad Datu.
A six-member team of rangers has moved them back into the forests to ensure the elephants are not hurt, as well as to minimise damages to the plantations they trespassed into on Thursday (Oct 4).
State Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga is monitoring the operations to make sure that the elephants are unharmed and returned to the Ulu Segama forest area.
The elephants are believed to have entered the Transkina Plantation early Thursday while foraging for food, with the authorities alerted on the matter shortly afterwards.
Liew said she was being regularly updated on the elephant encroachment.
"The rangers under Wildlife are trying their best to protect these elephants," she added.
This year alone, some 25 Borneo pygmy elephants have died due to various causes, including human-elephant conflict and poaching.
Pygmy elephants number around 1,500 to 2,000 in the Sabah and are totally protected.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/10/05/pygmy-elephant-herd-driven-back-into-forest-after-straying-into-plantation/#WeBx9Spl06dKgQIB.99
