Guest guest Posted June 10, 2005 Report Share Posted June 10, 2005 ***************************Advertisement*************************** ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/6/10/nation/11180449 & sec=nation ________________________ Friday June 10, 2005 Third pygmy elephant killed <b>BY MUGUNTAN VANAR</b> KOTA KINABALU: There has been another killing of the endangered Borneo Pygmy elephant in the state. The decapitated head was found floating in Sungai Kinabatangan near a tourist spot famed for its proboscis monkeys in Sukau on Wednesday evening. This is the third slaying of such an elephant reported in Sabah over the last eight months. In November last year, two such elephants were found dead. Elephant Conservation Unit head project co-ordinator Rosdi Sakong said the head and trunk of the female adult elephant had been severed. He said the elephant, which was believed to be moving in a herd of 70, was killed in “an act of vengeance,” as it was brutally cut up. The body has yet to be found. Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman expressed shock over the latest killing and ordered a full probe into what he described as a “senseless act.” Criminal charges should be brought against those responsible, he added. Asked if he thought that angry villagers whose crops were damaged were behind it, Musa said it should be known that pygmy elephants were a protected species. State Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Karim Bujang said the Wildlife Department had begun investigations. He feared that more of the elephants might be killed if nothing was done to resolve the problem of up to 200 such elephants being displaced due to oil palm cultivation in Kinabatangan, Lahad Datu and Segama. He said the displaced herds had destroyed oil palm plantations and there was talk that those who suffered losses had vented their frustrations by killing the elephants. Karim said the authorities were looking into rounding up and relocating the elephants to wildlife reserves, or moving them out in an exchange programme involving foreign zoos. <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2004 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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