MERSING, April 21 — The Johor Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has captured two wild elephants, roaming near Iskandar Camp yesterday.

Its director Salman Saaban said that the elephants were captured after the department received complaints from the public regarding a herd of elephants found roaming in the forest area near the camp staff quarters.

He said that a female elephant was captured first at 3.15pm while a male elephant was captured next at 3.45pm, with both being healthy and active.

“We received a complaint yesterday morning that there were five to 12 elephants in the forest area, and it was feared that they would wander to Flintstone Palace which is located only about 1.5 kilometres from the area.

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“According to the complainant, the elephants have been sighted in the area for the past week, and attempts by the department to control and push the herd away from the area had been futile,” he said in a statement today.

Salman said the two wild elephants caught were part of the herd, which had caused conflicts around Pekan Jemaluang, Felda Tenggaroh, Kampung Wak Salam and Kampung Sri Pantai.

“We will monitor the elephants until they are safely moved to new habitats, and this morning’s monitoring found that the remaining elephants in the herd were also missing at the place of operation and are suspected to have moved into the nearby Jemaluang Forest Reserve,” he said.

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Meanwhile, a resident of the camp who only wished to be known as Mat, in his 20s, thanked the Johor Perhilitan for acting swiftly to catch the animals.

“We are worried that if the elephants escaped in residential areas (quarters), it could threaten the safety of family members as well as damage property including vehicles.

“The continuous action and monitoring carried out, has to some extent, alleviated the residents’ concerns,” he said. — Bernama