Malaysia: Rangers trying to reunite baby elephant with mother

muguntan vanar The Star 9 Jun 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) rangers are trying to reunite a baby Borneo pygmy elephant, which strayed into a plantation in Tawau, with its mother.

The elephant calf was found within the estate’s management compound at about 6.30am yesterday.

The rangers rushed to the plantation after being notified by the management.

The health of the calf, which is just weeks old, is being assessed by WRU veterinarians who are trying to determined if it needs care.

When contacted, Sabah Wildlife Department director Datuk Augustine Tuuga said that they were already in the process of locating a herd that was moving around the area.“The herd is along the riparian reserve adjacent to the forest reserve.

“The baby elephant could belong to that herd,” he said.

It is understood that the calf may be placed in captive care, if rangers are unable to reunite it with the herd.

On the condition of another elephant that was being treated at a plantation in Telupid on May 27, Tuuga said the animal was improving though it was still not out of the woods.“Our team is monitoring it through the day to clean up its wounds, feed and shower it,” he said, adding that it remained on a sling, so they could treat its wound.

“The sling was slightly loosened up but still remains tight enough to prevent the animal from getting out of it,” he said.

Asked if the elephant was a victim of poachers, Tuuga said they did not find a bullet on the injury located on the left side of the elephant.

“We are still not sure what caused the injury,” he said.

The elephant was thought to be dead when it was found.

Stranded elephant calf to be in captive care for now
muguntan vanar The Star 10 Jun 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife veterinarians looking after a stranded week-old Borneo pygmy elephant at a plantation in Tawau have decided to bring it into captive care to treat severe infections.

The Wildlife Rescue Unit team is in the process of transporting the female calf to the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary in Kinaba­tangan for further treatment.

It is believed that the calf had strayed from its mother which was in a satellite-collared herd foraging at a riparian reserve close to a plantation on Saturday morning.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the calf had injuries on its hind legs with severe infection of maggots in its umbilical area.

“Our veterinarians have removed the maggots and cleaned the wounds,” he said.

He said due to the severity of the wound, the vets had proposed that the calf undergo at least another week of treatment and observation, adding that whether the calf would be reunited with the mother would be decided later.

Veterinarians suspect that the calf could have sustained injuries while wandering for at least 72 hours on its own before workers on a lookout for elephants saw it.

Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit veterinarians believe that the calf was likely to have been infected during the hours it was separated from its mother.

The vets also found that the calf was suffering from mild dehydration.