By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: Reducing preventable deaths is crucial to ensuring the long-term survival and recovery of Sabah's Bornean elephant population.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the state's elephant population is currently estimated at between 1,000 and 1,500.
Between 2022 and 2025, annual elephant deaths ranged from 25 to 42, caused by factors such as natural mortality, poaching, snaring, habitat-related incidents and human-elephant conflict.
Last month, an elephant was found mutilated with its tusks removed in Tongod. Days later, another elephant in Kalabakan was discovered with a severely injured, partially severed trunk.
"In some cases, however, carcasses are discovered at an advanced stage of decomposition, making it difficult or impossible to determine the exact cause of death despite thorough investigations.
"At present, it cannot be assumed that the birth rate fully compensates for the number of elephants lost each year. Elephants are a slow-breeding species, with long gestation periods and extended intervals between births.
"Therefore, reducing preventable deaths is critical to ensuring the long-term viability and recovery of Sabah's elephant population," he told the New Straits Times.
Jafry said the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) is continuing population assessments and monitoring efforts, with updated estimates expected within the next few years.
On the possibility of a dedicated sanctuary for elephants, Jafry said Sabah already has designated facilities such as the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park and the Bornean Elephant Sanctuary, which serve as important centres for the care, rehabilitation and temporary housing of rescued elephants.
He said the facilities play a crucial role in managing elephants that are injured, displaced or require intervention due to human-elephant conflict.
"However, it is important to emphasise that the long-term conservation strategy for Bornean elephants focuses primarily on in-situ conservation, which means maintaining and securing their natural habitat rather than relocating large populations into captivity or confined sanctuaries.
"Continuous efforts are being undertaken to strengthen habitat connectivity, improve wildlife corridors and reduce conflict through landscape-level planning," he said.
Jafry added that the priority remains ensuring elephants can survive safely within their natural range while minimising conflict with humans.
Currently, SWD utilises smart patrolling applications to support rangers and enforcement teams in carrying out targeted patrols to identify high-risk hotspots where snare traps are likely to be found, as well as to analyse trends and patterns of illegal activities within protected areas.
In plantation areas, a dedicated district-level task force has been established to discuss and implement integrated mitigation measures, including fencing mechanisms, as well as the development of food banks and wildlife corridors.
He said these interventions are designed to help monitor elephant movements and reduce the frequency and severity of human-elephant conflict.
"These efforts are being implemented through close collaboration between the Sabah Wildlife Department and conservation partners, working together with plantation stakeholders to ensure practical and effective solutions on the ground," he said.
Comments
Post a Comment