PROBE INTO RECENT ELEPHANT DEATHS

Dept to inspect river area to find site where adult pachyderm was killed

THE carcasses of two Bornean pygmy elephants — one without its tusks — were found in two separate locations in Sabah’s east coast in the last two weeks. The first discovery involved a male calf with its tusks intact. It was found in a plantation area on Sept 10 in Dumpas, Tawau.

An adult male elephant was found floating in Sungai Kinabatangan last Monday.

Sabah Wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said the department believed the adult elephant was killed by poachers for its tusks before its carcass was dumped into the river.

“The tusks were cut off, but at the moment, we cannot be sure where it was killed.

“As for the calf, its tusks are intact and no injuries were found on its body.

“We have despatched a team to examine the carcasses, including collecting the calf’s internal organs for analysis to determine the cause of death,” he said.

Augustine said the team would carry out inspections along the river to search for clues, which could lead to the location where the adult elephant was killed.

With the recent discoveries, he said the department recorded three cases of dead pygmy elephants in Sabah this year.

In August, plantation workers spotted an adult female pygmy elephant fighting for its life after sustaining gunshot wounds in an oil palm plantation in the Malua Forest Reserve, Kinabatangan. The elephant succumbed to its injuries. The Borneo Pygmy Elephant currently falls under Schedule 2 of Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, which makes it a protected animal.

Meanwhile, the Sabah Wildlife Department has sent its team to Pulau BumBum off Semporna to verify reports of dead turtles found on the beach there.

A viral picture of several turtles, some on their backs and their stomachs exposed, had gone viral on Wednesday.

Tuuga said, based on the photo, they looked like green turtles and humans could be the reason behind their deaths.

“According to the villagers contacted, there were nine carcasses.

“Our team had gone to the island on Thursday, so we are likely to update after (receiving) their report.

“We have asked our officers to interview those who discovered the carcasses to find leads, including where they drifted from and the possible cause of death.”

Asked if the condition of the turtles was due to other animals feeding on them, Tuuga said: “It is unlikely that animals (caused their deaths) but humans, based on what we can see. We will look further into this.”

Sabah has recorded several cases of mass dead turtles washing up onto its shores, including two incidents in early 2014 where 60 carcasses were found in the Pulau Tiga waters off Kudat, while another four at Pulau Bum-Bum.

In March 2015, authorities again discovered 19 green turtle carcasses in Pulau Tiga waters that were believed to be the result of a failed attempt to smuggle the animals alive.

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are protected under Schedule 1 of Sabah’s Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

We have despatched a team to examine the carcasses, including collecting the calf ’s internal organs for analysis to determine the cause of death.

AUGUSTINE TUUGA

Sabah Wildlife director