TELUPID: The human-elephant conflict here escalated with the latest episode of a herd encroaching the district police station.
During the 9am incident yesterday, about 10 elephants including three baby elephants entered the station and chased after its personnel.
District police chief Superintendent V Shivananthan said the female elephants had acted aggressively by destroying the fence at the station.
"Before the incident, the elephants had already destroyed a portion of the fence...now they are able to come in freely.
“We were also chased by the elephants but managed to escape from them,” he said when contacted, adding no one was injured and no other properties damaged except the fence.
Shivananthan said the presence of the herd of elephants was worrying and becoming more serious.
“The elephants have been roaming around at the station almost everyday.
"Besides the station, the elephants are also present outside the hostels of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Telupid,” he said adding the police had met with the Sabah Wildlife Department officer here to discuss the issue.
"The outcome of the meeting is to create a special area behind the school and police station for the elephants,” he said, adding the area, which can be turned into eco-tourism, should also have electric fencing.
He said relevant authority should also obtain land for the elephants and gazette it.