stephanie lee The Star 11 Oct 18;
KOTA KINABALU: A female elephant has been found dead at the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Tawau.
The elephant, estimated to be between 12 and 15 years old, is believed to have died from injuries sustained after a fight within her herd.
Sabah Wildlife Department public relation officer Siti Nur'ain Ampuan Acheh said they were alerted to the dead elephant on Oct 8 and sent a team to check.
"We went in to find the carcass a day later (Oct 9). Based on the physical condition of the elephant, we believe that it died more than five days ago," she said in a statement.
She said a post-mortem examination later found that there were no bullet wounds on the elephant but there were cracks on its skull and other injuries to its head, nasal and other areas.
"This severe head trauma might have caused severe bleeding inside its head, which led to its death," she said.
She said such injuries were most likely due to fights within the herd.
Earlier, plantation workers reported that they saw about 40 elephants in surrounding areas before discovering the carcass.
Another dead elephant found in Sabah
Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 11 Oct 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah recorded its 27th elephant death this year when another wild elephant was found dead in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Tawau.
The female elephant was estimated to be between 12 to 15 years old and was found dead on Monday by a Berjaya Sdn Bhd employee who then informed the Sabah Wildlife Department.
The department's public relations officer Siti Nur'ain Ampuan Acheh said acting on the information, a team of investigators were deployed to the location.
The team included veterinary officers as well as the department's staff members tasked with investigating the matter and conduct a post-mortem.
"Based on the physical condition of the carcass, the almost two metre high animal was believed to have been dead for more than five days.
"Checks did not find any physical wounds or bullet entry points. The team also used a metal detector to trace if there are any metals inside the carcass," Siti Nur'ain said in a statement today.
She added that post-mortem report however found fractures in the elephant's head.
Apart from that, the left bone was also severed from the skull, adding that all these pointed to signs of the elephant having sustained strong blows to the head.
"Severe head injuries are believed to have resulted in nerve damages which then led to bleeding and subsequently death.
"There is a large possibility there was a fight with another elephant which led to its death," she said.
According to her, plantation workers in the area had also reported a sighting of some 40 elephants there prior to the discovery of the dead female elephant.
