LAHAD DATU: A male Borneo pygmy elephant was found dead in an oil palm plantation at Jalan Silam, here, on Thursday (Dec 19).
The carcass was discovered by workers at Felcra Danum plantation at 1pm who immediately notified their superior.
Lahad Datu wildlife officer Hairulnizam Hasnan said they were notified at 5.54pm.
He said the Sabah Wildlife Department was subsequently informed and a probe has been launched to determine what killed the elephant.
“As soon as we were notified, a team was sent to the location for preliminary investigations,” he said, Friday.
“We are checking to see if the elephant died of natural causes or if other elements were involved,” he added.
Hairulnizam said this latest death raised concern over threats to the species.
He urged anyone with information to come forward.
On Sept 17, the carcass of a female calf was found on a farm in Begahak, also in Lahad Datu.
In June, the Borneo pygmy elephant, a distinct subspecies of the Asian elephant, was classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The population currently stands at around 1,000, with 400 being breeding adults.
This is far fewer than the 1,500 estimated by government officials and experts before.
