TELUPID: The Sabah Wildlife Department (JHL) led efforts to rescue a female elephant calf, estimated to be between one and two years old, after it sustained a serious injury to its right leg from a rope snare at a Pan Borneo Highway construction site within the Tawai Forest Reserve on Wednesday.
JHL Director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said the calf was injured after becoming caught in the rope snare.
He said the rescue operation involved a joint team comprising the Community Elephant Ranger Team (CERT) Telupid, JHL PPOUS, Ranger Community, 7Team and CHWW Telupid.
“As of now, we are still monitoring the calf after it received treatment on Sept 24.
“We hope the calf will be able to continue moving with its herd,” he said when contacted by Daily Express.
He said the Department, in collaboration with Community Rangers and the Elephant Escort Community Team, was continuing to monitor the calf while conducting snare-clearing operations in the area.
Meanwhile, CERT Telupid Coordinator and Human-Elephant Harmony Project Coordinator Alvein Dee Albenus said his team received a report from the Pan Borneo Highway team on Sept 22 that the calf had been sighted for about two days and was having difficulty walking.
“Following the report, our team went to the location to monitor the calf’s condition and gather further information before informing the Sandakan Wildlife Department, veterinary doctor and Telupid Forestry Office,” he said.
He said an examination found that the snare was still attached to the calf’s right leg and had caused a deep wound that was almost down to the bone.
Alvein said his team conducted weekly monitoring of elephant movements, but the vastness of the Tawai Forest Reserve and the unpredictable movements of elephants made it impossible to detect every movement at all times.
“Elephants can enter and leave the forest at any time and use different routes.
“Before the calf was found, other elephant herds had also been frequently entering villages. Therefore, our team’s focus at the time was more on community areas to assist with monitoring and reduce the risk of human-elephant conflict,” he said.
Alvein said CERT Telupid currently had eight members comprising youths from several villages in Telupid, including communities that had experienced human-elephant conflict for about 10 years.
He said under the Forever Sabah – Human-Elephant Harmony Project, the team conducted Citizen Science activities, including collecting information and observations on elephant movements, behaviour and interactions with the environment and communities.
On the use of snares, Mohd Soffian said snaring was a prohibited hunting method under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
“Snares are indiscriminate. Although they may be set for animals such as wild boar, deer and other small mammals, they can also trap other animals.
“Because of this, hunting using snares is not allowed,” he said.
He said snares remained widely used because the materials needed to make them were easy to carry and could be assembled using materials found in the forest, while the cost of making them was minimal.
According to him, snares were generally not placed far from the forest boundary as they needed to be checked periodically.
Mohd Soffian said snare-clearing operations would continue alongside monitoring efforts to reduce the risk of wildlife falling victim to such traps.
He also urged the public not to set snares and to report any suspicious activities to the authorities.
He said the incident involving the elephant calf highlighted how snares could endanger not only the intended target species but also other wildlife passing through the area.
