MOVING A JUMBO-SIZED PROBLEM

Sabah dept has to use heavy machinery to move herds

THE Sabah Wildlife Department is working with plantation companies to resolve humanelephant conflicts, especially in the east coast of the state.

Its director, Augustine Tuuga, said, unlike in Peninsular Malaysia, where a herd of elephants was moved by trained elephants, the Sabah Wildlife Rescue unit had to use heavy machinery.

“Trained elephants are bought from Thailand and India. They are costly and require special care. Trainers have to learn foreign languages to give commands to the elephants,” he told the New Straits Times.

Augustine, however, said the translocation method in Sabah cost RM30,000 per animal.

The cost included the machinery, allowances for rescue personnel and food for a herd, which consisted of 20 or more elephants.

The translocation was made necessary when the “no-killing” policy came into effect in 1996. In the past, the authorities had used “elephant bombs” to contain the species.

During the recent Sabah Elephant Film Festival 2017, held in conjunction with World Elephant Day, Augustine had said human and elephants used to co-exist before the 1960s.

“Villagers used to call them nenek (granny) as a gesture of respect. When the forests were converted into plantations, authorities began to receive reports of damage caused by elephants.”

He said at worst, 100 elephants would gather in one location and damage acres of plantations.

There had been reports that bees’ buzzing sounds or light bulbs could ward off elephants from getting near plantations.

Augustine, however, said none of them had proven effective compared with electrical fencing, which only big plantation companies could afford.

PIC BY IZHARI ARIFFIN Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga (right) with World Wildlife Fund-Malaysia executive director Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma (centre) and Assistant Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming at the Sabah Elephant...