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Group secures fund to build food corridor for elephants

KOTA KINABALU: The fund needed to build a wildlife food corridor for Borneo pygmy elephants in Kinabatangan has been secured, said wildlife conservationist Alexander Yee.

Yee, chairman of the Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust (RESPECT), said the funding of almost a million dollars for a period of five years will be sponsored by the Borneo Conservation Trust Japan (BCTJ).

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew, who mooted the plan to set up a wildlife food corridor, is expected to launch the project next month, said Yee.

"On Nov 14 and 15, 2024, a delegation from the BCTJ visited the Napier grass planting site.

"They witnessed firsthand the efforts of RESPECT in establishing this vital food corridor for elephants," said Yee.

He said the food corridor will be sited in Kampung Bilit along the riparian reserve of the Sungai Kinabatangan.

"The Napier grass will be planted on the upstream side of the river spanning 5km on each side.

"We have already obtained permission from the state Department of Irrigation and Drainage," he added.

Yee's involvement in the Napier grass planting initiative started on March 1, 2018, when a baby Borneo pygmy elephant wandered into a primary school in Telupid in search of food.

"That actually brought to me that there is a shortage of food in the wild for the pygmy elephant.

"From there, I gathered a group of like-minded people to establish RESPECT to do our action plans," he said.

They had also held a meeting with the state tourism minister, and she was keen to kick-start a food corridor in Kinabatangan, he said.

At the same time, an Australian corporation, Intrepid Foundation, also approached RESPECT with some funding to set up a food haven for the Borneo pygmy elephant in Telupid, he added.

However, he said the Napier grass planting project in Telupid was unsuccessful due to the Covid-19 pandemic and was moved to Kinabatangan.

He said one acre of land was set aside in Kampung Bilit to initiate the Napier grass planting project on a small scale.

"After we started to plant in April, then in July there was a herd of elephants that came down to consume the grass.

"We deem that as a vote of confidence and also a stamp of acceptance and approval from the elephants," said Yee, adding that the elephants subsequently came back three to four times.

RESPECT also organised a Napier grass planting event for the Sandakan High Court team and provided hands-on educational experience and awareness for over 40 students from SK Bilit during World Elephant Day in August 2024.

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