KOTA KINABALU, July 12 — The baby elephant found last Tuesday in a plantation in Brumas, Tawau, is currently in Sepilok, an orangutan wildlife reserve and is being treated for some minor wounds on its body.
Sabah Wildlife Department spokesperson Siti Nurain Ampuan Acheh said that the elephant calf, approximately two to three weeks old and weighing 95.5kg was immediately given milk formula fluids intravenously upon being found and transported to Tawau.
It was later transported to Sepilok once more, arriving there around 5:30am today, where it will receive attention from the resident veterinarian.
“A full medical checkup performed found that the baby elephant to be bright, alert and receptive to drinking milk. He still looks slightly dehydrated so it was given oral electrolytes.
“Some small wounds were found in different parts of the body and are now being treated,” she said in a statement here.
The baby elephant was found in weak condition but aware of its surroundings.
An elephant calf found alone is usually not a good sign for the species, indicating that its herd is either dead or faced some conflict that caused the calf to end up alone.
It was reported that the wildlife rangers had tried to locate the baby’s herd in the surrounding areas but failed to do so.
The Brumas area where the calf was found has seen elephant encounters in recent years, including an attack by a rogue bull elephant two years ago.
Oil palm plantations in the area also regularly report the presence of elephants that sometimes pose a danger to the crops and occasionally, the residents.
The east coast and interior of Sabah has seen an increase of human-wildlife conflict due to the rapid pace of development and land clearing.
Between 2013 and 2016, 15 orphaned baby elephants were found on their own in Tawau, Lahad Datu, Telupid, Kinabatangan and Sandakan — areas known to be a hotbed for human-elephant conflicts.
