KOTA KINABALU: The carcasses of two Bornean pygmy elephant – one without its tusks – were found in two separate locations in Sabah’s east coast in the last two weeks ago.
The first discovery involved a male calf with its tusks still intact. It was found dead in the plantation area on Sept 10 in Dumpas, Tawau.
While an adult male elephant was found floating in the Kinabatangan river last Monday.
Sabah Wildlife director Augustine Tuuga, when contacted, said the department believed the adult elephant was killed by poachers for its tusks before its carcass was dumped into the river.
“The tusks (on the adult elephant) were cut off but at the moment, we could not be sure where it was killed.
“As for the calf, its tusks are still intact and no injuries were found on its body. We have dispatched a team to inspect the carcasses, including collecting internal organ sampled from the calf for analysis to determine the cause of death,” he said.
Augustine also said the team will carry out inspection along the river to search for signs, which can lead to the exact site where the adult elephant was killed.
With the recent discoveries, he said the department recorded three cases of dead pygmy elephants in Sabah thus far this year.
In August, plantation workers spotted an adult Bornean pygmy elephant struggling for its life after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds in an oil palm plantation the Malua Forest Reserve in Kinabatangan.
The adult female elephant, however, succumbed to its injuries.