KOTA KINABALU: An elephant was found shot and brutally hacked into several parts in what was the third and most cruel death of an endangered Bornean pygmy elephant in the wilds of Sabah this year.
The tusks were ironically left untouched, leaving wildlife rangers wondering about the motive for the killing, which showed signs of brutality that had never been seen in the previous cases.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the decomposing half-skinned carcass of the elephant was found on the border of Saicheng Plantation near Kampung Imbak in central Sabah s Tongod district at about 8am on Thursday (Jan 21).
How Wildlife-Friendly are Oil Palm Plantations in Malaysia?
Being
one of the megadiverse countries in the world, Malaysia is rich in
biodiversity, from the top of its highest mountains to its deepest seas. However,
many of the biodiversity are currently under threat with some already extinct.
Many initiatives have been taken by various organizations to protect and
conserve the biodiversity to be appreciated by our future generations.
Oil
palm, as the most important commodity crop for Malaysia, has been labelled as a
major contributor that drives the extinction of many flora and fauna in the
country. For example, the decrease of more than 100,000 Orangutans from 1999 to