Malua Forest Reserve rangers working on Sabah’s east coast have been left perplexed by the body of a female pygmy elephant that was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a plantation that border the conservation area. The incident is reported to have occurred three days ago.
Director of the Danau Girang Field Center, Dr Benoit Goosens, told reporter that they could not rule out poachers at this time. However, he points out that the female animal had no tusks, nor was any meat removed from the body.
The Star details that Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) officials tried to save the life of the poor animal, but ultimately, she succumbed to her injuries.
The pygmy elephants of Borneo are a distinct breed of elephant native only to the island. Their baby-faces, big ears, round bellies and diminutive stature give them the look of a Disney character. They are more gentle-natured than their Asian counterparts, and are the smallest elephants found in Asia.
Goosens calls the murder “sad and senseless.”
