KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife officers are investigating the cause of death of a female elephant found in an oil palm plantation in Sabah’s east coast Kinabatangan district last week.
A plantation worker stumbled upon the carcass of the cow elephant, which was believed to have been poisoned, with blood coming out of its mouth at the Leepang plantation last Sunday.
Sabah wildlife director Augustine Tuuga said the elephant, estimated to be around 20 years old, had died less than 24 hours before the worker made the discovery.
“There was no visible evidence of any physical injury caused by any sharp object,” he said when contacted.
“A team of wildlife officers conducted a post-mortem on the carcass the following day. Seven blood samples have been sent for a toxicology test and we have yet to get the results.”
This latest case has added to the string of deaths involving the pachyderms in Sabah. Besides poisoning, elephants were also found to have died from gunshot wounds and snare traps.
In June, Sabah Wildlife Department deputy director Dr Sen Nathan said 50 to 60 elephants had reportedly died from poisoning over the last 10 years in Sabah.
“Every elephant in the state is exposed to poison, either from plants, the environment or the plantation areas,” he said.
Meanwhile, also in Kinabatangan, wildlife rangers captured and translocated a juvenile elephant that had wandered off into another plantation at Kampung Sukau yesterday.
Tuuga said the elephant will be brought to the Bornean Elephant Sanctuary in the district.