Poachers cut off elephant’s tusks, leg
KOTA KINABALU: The carcass of a Bornean pygmy elephant found floating in a river in Kinabatangan early this week had been mutilated by poachers.
They not only removed the endangered mammal’s tusks, but also cut off its left leg at the thigh.
“Based on the condition (of the carcass), the (injuries were inflicted) by humans. There were no signs of it being torn off due to decay or being eaten by crocodiles.
“Since there were no gunshot wounds, we can only assume that the bull was caught in a snare trap and its leg was cut off by poachers,” said Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga.
He said the skin on the left side of the elephant’s body was also sliced off.
“We are not sure why the leg and the skin were removed. The department will investigate this,” Tuuga said.
The carcass of the male elephant, aged between 15 and 20, was spotted by a group of tourists on a river cruise near Sungai Koyah in Kinabatangan on Monday.
It is believed that the elephant had been dead for three days prior to its discovery.
On the separate discovery of a male calf found dead in a plantation in Dumpas, Tawau, on Sept 10, Tuuga said the elephant was about 3 years old and ruled out poaching as the cause of its death.
“It probably died of an infection or food poisoning. The calf could have eaten grass or plants tainted with pesticides. I have yet to receive a full report on this,” he said.
A wildlife team was sent to the field the following day to collect samples of the calf ’s organs for analysis.
Checks revealed that the calf had parasitic infestation and its liver, spleen and kidney severely decomposed.
Tuuga said the calf was believed to have been dead two days before it was discovered by plantation workers.