Elephant found killed in Tawau river
Published on: Friday, September 27, 2019
By: Lagatah Toyos
KALABAKAN: Member of Parliament Ma’mun Sulaiman called for a detailed investigation by the authorities, following the discovery of an elephant that was found killed and tied up in Sg Udin, Dumpas, at 3.30pm, on Wednesday.
He said it must be established whether two wounds on the ear and the back of the elephant were the result of gunshots.
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The carcass was found by a group of fishermen from Merotai Besar, near here, who initially thought it was a piece of wood. It was tied to a bamboo pole.
“We are saddened by the incident, especially since the Borneo Pygmy elephants are an endangered species and their number is declining in our country.
“We should be thankful that Sabah has a unique species of elephant and that the act of hunting or killing these animals should be stopped,” he said, Thursday.
Ma’mun said the act of cruelty could not be tolerated and that serious action against the perpetrator should be taken by the authorities.
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A videoclip of the incident that started circulating on social media sparked public outrage.
“We went out to catch shrimps about 12.30pm and were heading upstream to fish when we came across the carcass,” said Joko Warsito Ahmad, 41, who was with two others at that time.
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It was learnt that it took them close to two hours by boat to get to the site.
He said fresh blood on the carcass showed that the mammal could have been killed at dawn.
He also thinks that the bamboo tied around its neck was meant to prevent it from drifting away by currents and allowing higher chances of it being found.
He said they had encountered a herd of between 15 to 20 elephants crossing the river on previous occasions, but this was the first time they came across an elephant killed in the area.
Meanwhile, Tawau Wildlife Officer, Sailun Aris said a team has been deployed to detect the location.
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