TAWAU: Rangers on Saturday have pulled out four of nine elephants found trapped for days in a three-metre deep mud pool near a logging site in Rinukut.
Two of the rescued adult elephants were released into the wild while two others had to be euthanised after the animals were found to be too weak, suffering from acute dehydration and blinded by the ordeal.
Five of the elephants were already dead when state Wildlife Department rescue unit arrived at the site on Saturday.
State Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the unit was dispatched to the site after the department received a report on the same day.
“Unfortunately, when our team reached the area, five of the elephants were already dead," he said, adding that two were full-sized adults, two juveniles and a newborn.
"We believe they were stuck in that pool for at least a week," he said.
Augustine said that the team, with the help of heavy machinery from a nearby timber camp, managed to pull out the two adult elephants from the pool.
"The two eventually ran back into the forest," he said.
However, the two other elephants that were pulled out later were too weak, he added.
Augustine said to prevent similar mishap, the team decided to cover up the mud pool with soil.
He said investigations have ruled out foul play in the incident.
"The elephants probably went into the mud pool to cool themselves and to bathe. Unfortunately, they probably underestimated the depth and the quicksand-like consistency of the mud causing them to be trapped." he said.