Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Forum rules
Same as all HTUK forums, be courteous, polite and tolerant, remember everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if you don't agree with it ;)
Post Reply
kata

Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by kata »

Sabah,

:( :( :( Its made me real sad to hear about this. They don't know why they died yet.

I think the fact that a baby one was trying to wake its dead mother is what got to me the most. Pygmy elephants are endemic to Malaysia.

Elephants dying suddenly has happened before by lightning in India its was'nt the lightning that struck them but the current under their feet.

How aweful to lose these animals. Elephants are a very 'family oriented' group and no surprise that baby tried to wake mum. its a tragedy right enough.

As more forest is logged the animals have to stray further for food and that means they stray into human terrotory and get killed. They don't know if these were shot yet or poisoned.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-575 ... -malaysia/
:( :( :(
User avatar
Yorkshire Kris
Posts: 10163
Joined: Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:59 am
Location: Rural South Wakefield, Yorkshire Lat 53.64 Long-1.54

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

This made me feel sad on the way into work today. Page 3 in the Metro. Sad photo. :( :(
kata

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by kata »

Thanks Kris, its devastaing news , It heartbreaking.

Reuters have it as a possible poisoning but they are being examined by wildlife specialists as we write to confirm. It may not have been diliberate but they could have eaten something alien to them...but 10 of them.. icon_scratch

I am expecting WWF to get involved in this massacre. One thing is certain I would not want to stand in the shoes of who did this terrible thing if they were poisoned. Malaysia is as stiff on wildlife theft as they are on drugs.

Were these eleophants killed for the tusks?

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates there are fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants found in the wild, with most of them residing in Sabah state. The elephant is smaller than other Asian elephants and their African relatives with larger ears and a gentle nature.
:( :(
Trudytropics

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Trudytropics »

:cry: Too horrible to contemplate, poor creatures. Of all the animals in the world, elephants are my favourite, majestic, loving, intelligent and family orientated, its a real tragedy this has happened, lets hope they found out how they died.
User avatar
Dave Brown
Site Admin
Posts: 19742
Joined: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:17 am
Location: Chalk, (Thames Estuary) Kent, England 51.5N 0.3E
Contact:

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Dave Brown »

A big shame whatever, but lets hope it was some sort of tragic accident, rather than malicious. If accidental and identified, maybe they can stop it happening again.
Best regards
Dave
icon_thumright
_________________________________________________
Roll on summer.....
http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk
kata

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by kata »

They have found another four dead,

Nothing written in stone yet about what happened.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman wants the state Wildlife Department and Forestry Department to immediately and thoroughly investigate the death of 14 elephants in Tawau recently.
They are the people who will decide who/or what killed them and act accordingly.

:)
Alexander

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Alexander »

And those elefants on Borneo are the most rare and endagered ones. They are a subspecies, or maybe even an unique species at it own. Well the scientific name is Elephas maximus borneensis and only found in the northeast of Borneo. I have been to that area 11 years ago. Its a reserve surrounded by oilpalmplantations. And those oilpalmplantation have replaced most of the elephants former habitat!

Well all elefantpopulation are under pressure due to increased poaching, especially in Africa where you get 2 species of elefants. The big one in the open savanas and a smaller species wich lives in tropical rainforest of the Congo.
Due to the increased wealh in China there is now a large demand for ivory to make shopsticks and other objects. Well this makes poaching and illigal trade very lucrative, not only ivory but also rhinoceroshorn and tigerproducts.
Well and as the Chinese seem not to care much about nature and the environement a a whole, its one of the most polutated countries now, it seems bleak for the futur!

Alexander
kata

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by kata »

I know about the unique species of Pygmy Elephants Alexander, I did a blog at one time on Malaysia covering about four years of blog posting.

In the images there were no tusks, the only thing I don't know is if the Pygmy has tusks or not...later the dead rose to 13 dead...believed poison from crop spraying.

Not be much left on Borneo now to what you may have seen. I always say what goes around comes around, one day the loggers and inhabitants will get sick and the forest will be devoid of medicines. The forest is the world's medicine chest, the forest is the lungs of the earth. Where will we find the next antibiotic..Borneo with luck.

Its a very Important part of the world.
borneo-pygmy-elephants.jpg
borneo-pygmy-elephants.jpg (45.93 KiB) Viewed 2243 times
Alexander

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Alexander »

kata wrote:I know about the unique species of Pygmy Elephants Alexander, I did a blog at one time on Malaysia covering about four years of blog posting.

In the images there were no tusks, the only thing I don't know is if the Pygmy has tusks or not...later the dead rose to 13 dead...believed poison from crop spraying.

Not be much left on Borneo now to what you may have seen. I always say what goes around comes around, one day the loggers and inhabitants will get sick and the forest will be devoid of medicines. The forest is the world's medicine chest, the forest is the lungs of the earth. Where will we find the next antibiotic..Borneo with luck.

Its a very Important part of the world.
borneo-pygmy-elephants.jpg
I do totally agree! Those bloody loggers and oilplantations. In some way I really hope the human race gets extinct! And the sooner the better it is for the rest of live on this planet!

Alexander
kata

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by kata »

Hi Alexander,

We are, or should be leaving this world as we found it for the next generation. Unfortuneatly 'green has turned to gold' in Indonesia/Borneo/Malaysia.

If we had the knowledge to know how old the original trees were, like the Iron woods, the diptocarp trees then we could say that the saplings put back won't even be mature for the next generation who may Incidently have more sense that this generation in looking after the land.

Just seen Pokok gergasi, tallest known tropical tree in the world from Sabah Province, Borneo standing at least 88.31 tall. How long did it take to reach that height?

http://www.landmarktrees.net/borneo.html

Irrplaceable!!
lungsoftheearth1.jpg
lungsoftheearth1.jpg (11.7 KiB) Viewed 2211 times
Just one of my many Images Icollected over time.

Alexander

Re: Ten Pygmy Elephants Dead

Post by Alexander »

Koompasia malaccensis trees I have seen. Majestic trees they are! And often as left overs from what was ones a majestic forest.
Well if they continue this deforestation then they will end up like Europe where only the Bialowieza fotrest is left as an example what ones was comonplace here!

Well not only tropical forest are ''long of the Earth, every forest is''. But not every forest has a rich biodiversity...

Alexander
Post Reply