Wild elephant attacks force Orang Asli families out of homes

 

Galas assemblyman Syahbuddin Hashim said the threat of elephants and tigers is an ongoing problem. (Bernama pic)

GUA MUSANG: Wild elephant attacks have forced nine of the 15 Orang Asli families of the Temiar tribe in Kampung Bujuk, Pos Bihai, here to leave their homes.

Kampung Bujuk resident Asu Pandak, 65, said he and his family were now sheltering at a relative’s house in Kampung Tendrik as their home was damaged by the wild elephants.

“The elephants intruded into our village at about 5am last Wednesday. We were sleeping but luckily we were awakened by the noise of the rampaging elephants and fled to the nearby village,” Bernama reported him as saying.

“Before this, the elephants had also damaged our crops such as bananas and cassavas.”

Residents of Kampung Hak, another Orang Asli settlement at Pos Bihai, also face the threat of wild elephants.

One of the residents, Apek Asud, 39, said in the latest incident yesterday, the elephants damaged a house but the residents managed to escape.

He said wild elephants as well as tigers had been seen in the area and threatened the livelihood of the two villages’ 52 residents.

“How can we go out to earn a living? We don’t know who to turn to anymore. We urge the authorities to find a way to solve the problem.

“Don’t let something untoward happen before action is taken,” he said.

Galas assemblyman Syahbuddin Hashim said the threat of elephants and tigers is an ongoing problem, and he will be sending food baskets to the affected families as immediate assistance. - FMT