No facility in Sabah to isolate dangerous elephants - Wildlife Dept

 

There is no isolation facility in Sabah currently to place dangerous elephants for the animal to roam freely, said State Wildlife Department (Wildlife) director Augustine Tuuga.

He said there were currently too many elephants in captivity in Sabah and existing facilities were now cramped.

On the elephant that caused the death of a Lok Kawi Wildlife Park worker here last Sunday (Dec 25), he said the pachyderm had been placed in an isolation area.

However, he hoped that the move was only temporary because the movement of the animal, which usually has to be chained, was restricted.

“We prefer the elephants to have freedom of movement by placing them in facilities where they can move around freely,” he said when contacted today.

Augustine suggested an alternative which is to send the dangerous elephants to countries that have adequate facilities, where the animals can move freely without being confined in a cramped place or chained.

"Elephant welfare is the most important aspect of management for elephants in captivity,” he added.

- Bernama