Image: Borneo Post
In February, an image picture of a baby pygmy elephant (Baby Joe) tugging on to its dead mother surfaced on Malaysian tabloids, rendering it one of the most heart-breaking images ever.
Dr Sen Nathan, a veterinarian for the Sabah Wildlife Department reported 14 mysterious deaths of the elephants in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve. Officers of the Sabah Wildlife Department believed that the elephants were poisoned. The suspicion led to the offer of a RM50,000 reward for information about the death of pygmy elephants, and that IS, if they were confirmed to be poisoned. (Source)
They believed the animals may have been poisoned, possibly by substances left out by workers at nearby oil palm plantations to deter animals from eating their palm fruit.
Image: Daily Mail
After a long 5-month long wait, the truth is finally out on the “massacre” of the Borneo pygmy elephants.
According to the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, Australian experts found high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, iron and chromium were found in the 14 elephants killed in the forest reserve. He said specimen samples from the insides of the dead elephants were sent to research institutions, including in Thailand and Australia to obtain much feedback on how the animals were killed. This is quite possibly an easier lead on the target. (Source)
The animals are seeking out new sources of food due to the destruction of their habitat. Being stripped away from their habitat, they are forced to find new sources of food – and what else other than nearby plantations owned by humans.
Malaysia and Indonesia account for 90% if the global palm oil production, and in order to maintain the supply, rainforests are destroyed for the expansion. This leaves animals like the pygmy elephants and orangutans pushing towards extinction, and as for the indigenous people living in the forests, well they end up refugees in their own land.
Last August in Kalimantan, Indonesia, an orangutan was set on fire when villagers tried to smoke the fruit tree it considered shelter. The flames were lifted by the wind, and it set light the orangutan’s fur. The villagers fought to put out the fire, but the orangutan fell out of the tree. The villagers said they simply had been trying to persuade the animal to move away and not eat their fruit. Fortunately, members of the International Animal Rescue were able to treat the wounded animal. (Source)
Image: Daily Mail
We hope to shed the light on the exact proof of what deforestation is doing to the endangered wildlife that is native to Malaysia. Our identity does not only lie in the culture or the skyscrapers we boast, but it also lies in the natural flora and fauna. Our tourism industry relies on our ancient rainforests, so why is it being compromised?
