Kota Kinabalu: Elephants are forced to encroach plantations because it is humans who have encroached into their habitats and disrupted their food supply through extensive land clearing for crops and development.

“The solution is to establish designated feeding areas as initiated by State Tourism Minister Datuk Christina Liew,” said Alexander Yee, Chairman of Respect (Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust) on the soon-to-be launched Food Corridor in Kinabatangan.

“This development will be beneficial for wildlife as it will provide a proper feeding area with napier grass for the elephants,” he said, in conjunction with World Elephant Day (Aug. 12).

Yee said Sabah’s elephants are among the big five that international tourists look for when visiting Sabah, particularly the Kinabatangan. The others are orang utan, proboscis, crocodiles and hornbills.