SANDAKAN: The initiative to plant Napier grass in Kinabatangan here for the elephants has borne fruitful outcomes, said Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust (Respect) chairman Alexander Yee.
"Two weeks ago, a group of Bornean pygmy elephants came to eat the Napier grass planted in the vicinity of a lodge in Kinabatangan. The group included six adults and a baby.
"Our mission is to promote and implement effective elephant conservation strategies, ensuring the survival of elephants through education, community involvement, and sustainable practices," he said, adding the Napier grass planting programme was initially started in Telupid, with support from an Australian corporation, Intrepid Foundation.
Yee added that the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is now supporting the programme to plant Napier grass in Kinabatangan and had proposed the idea of creating a food corridor for wildlife in Kinabatangan.
"The initiative is currently being discussed with a Japanese donor.
"Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will launch a pioneering conservation model to bolster the long-term survival of the elephants," said Yee.
For the younger generation, Yee said they needed to educate the public and introduce the awareness programme to more schools.
It is estimated that less than 1,500 Bornean pygmy elephants remain in the wild.
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By Paul Mu
SANDAKAN: The initiative to plant Napier grass in Kinabatangan here for the elephants has borne fruitfuloutcomes, said the Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust (Respect) chairman Alexander Yee.
"Two weeks ago, a group of Bornean pygmy elephants came to eat the Napier grass planted in the vicinity of a lodge in Kinabatangan.The group included six adults and a baby.
"Our mission is to promote and implement effective elephant conservation strategies, ensuring the survival of elephants through education, community involvement, and sustainable practices," he said, adding the Napier grass planting programme was initially started in Telupid, with support from an Australian corporation, Intrepid Foundation.
Yee added that the Tourism, Culture, and Environment ministry is now supporting the programme to plant Napier grass in Kinabatangan and had proposed the idea of creating a food corridor for wildlife in Kinabatangan.
"The initiative is currently being discussed with a Japanese donor.
"Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will launch a pioneering conservation model to bolster the long-term survival of the elephants," said Yee.
For the younger generation, Yee said they need to educate the public and introduce the awareness programme to more schools.
It is estimated that less than 1,500 Bornean pygmy elephants remain in the wild.