Borneo Conservation Trust - Conflict with Humans

Plantations a Hazard to Borneo Elephants
Borneo Elephants have adapted to Borneo's tropical rainforest setting. They are the smallest of all elephants, with long tails and straight tusks. Recent DNA studies reveal that these mammals have been isolated from nearest group occurring in Peninsular Malaysia for a very long time. The Borneo Elephant has been identified as a unique species, and only 1000 remain, localized in Sabah.

Borneo Elephants migrate seasonally along Sabah's rivers. However, migration along the Kinabatangan River, the longest river in the State of Sabah, Malaysia, is now disrupted by large scale plantation development. Young Oil Palm plants are tasty food for Borneo Elephants, who, attracted by the food, enter plantations and damage the Oil Palm trees. Then, conflict between people and Elephants is imminent.

Several large-scale plantation operators have constructed electric fences around their plantations to protect Oil Palm trees from migrating Borneo Elephants. But smaller plantations and agricultural areas owned by village people cannot afford such fences, so people start killing Elephants because they are damaging their livelihood.

Elephants Injured by Traps
Borneo Elephants co-existed with people for centuries in Sabah. However, recent plantation development has marginalized their habitat and disrupted their migration routes. Plantation workers regularly set wire traps to catch wildlife as their food protein source.

Adult Elephants are clever enough to avoiding these traps, but baby elephants are curious about everything and get their feet or noses caught in the wire traps. Although they are strong enough to break free, the wire cannot be released and it slowly digs into their flesh, the wound soon becoming infected. For an Elephant to lose the use of its nose is like a person losing both hands. Injured elephants cannot get food and are in a lot of pain.

Borneo Elephants get their noses and legs caught in farmers' traps,
causing injury, infection and ultimately, early death

Since 2004, the Sabah Wildlife Department assisted by Saraya Co., Ltd. and WWF Malaysia, has conducted rescue operations for the injured Elephants. Despite their best efforts, there are still many trapped baby Elephants roaming the forests of Sabah, Borneo.

The Issues - Forest Fragmentation - Oil Palm Plantations