Elephant found shot dead in Tawau

An officer from the Sabah Wildlife Department (Tawau), Soffian Abu Bakar said the carcass of the elephant, estimated to be between 18 and 25 of age, was found on a road in the Felda Umas Oil Plantation.

He said the department received a call from the plantation manager about 9am on Friday, that its officers had stumbled upon a dead elephant in their area.

“We suspect the elephant died of a gunshot wound, which was confirmed by our wildlife rescue unit’s veterinary team,” he said in a statement here today.

State wildlife department assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said its veterinary team found a small bullet wound on the mammal’s abdominal area.

He noted the elephant might have succumbed to its injuries, a few days after it was shot.

Meanwhile, department director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu said discoveries of dead elephants had been an ongoing malady not only in Felda Umas, but also in other parts of Sabah which shared its areas with elephant habitats. — Bernama