Act quickly to save the pygmy elephants

WE seem to be losing the battle to protect our flora and fauna, especially the endangered pygmy elephants.

My heartfelt appreciation to the people who have tried and tried to raise awareness about these elephants and help them in practical ways (like the WWF) but there are just so many obstacles.

Unfortunately, there seem to be groups or individuals who are out to harm these elephants, hence even the healthy male named Liningkung, which was fitted with a satellite collar, died prematurely from bullet wounds.

Sabah’s wildlife is its national treasure. There remains only about 1,500 pygmy elephants, as reported in “Yet another endangered Borneo pygmy jumbo found dead in Sabah” (The Star, Dec 14, 2017). Since a number of deaths took place in certain areas, there should be checks and patrols in those areas. Don’t wait till the situation becomes critical, as in the case of the Sumatran rhinos.

Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Benoit Goosens’ proposal to establish a special wildlife enforcement unit to go after the poachers is a good idea. The need for informers and professional investigators, raised by Marc Acrenaz, scientific director for Sabah-based wildlife research and conservation NGO Hutan, is also another matter that must be acted upon immediately.

There should be ongoing dialogues between the Government/ Forest Department and the people who consider the elephants a pest to seek ways to solve the problem.

There should be ongoing education about the importance of protecting the wildlife, especially the endangered species, in schools and community halls. Increase the allocation for the protection of these gentle giants. Get sufficient forest rangers and enforcement officers. In the last 14 months, there were nine deaths, as stated in the news report. Probably there were other cases that were unreported.

Act quickly. It is our responsibility.