How mud pool came about

KOTA KINABALU: The mud pool in which seven Borneo Pygmy elephants drowned is likely to have been dug by timber camp workers less than 15 years ago.

Sabah Forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said the workers were believed to have dug out the stones to build a road.

“I don’t know why they did not close it. Maybe they left it as a water source or even to be used in the event of forest fires,” he said yesterday.

Mannan said over time, the hole could have been filled with mud and water, adding that it was sad the elephants were trapped in it.

The department, he said, could not pinpoint exactly which group or company had been involved in the digging at the site in Rinukut, off the Kalabakan-Keningau road in Tawau, which was located in an old logging land that came under a former forest management area under the department’s jurisdiction.

“We don’t know for sure who dug the hole.

“We can’t just accuse anyone,” said Mannan, describing the deaths of the animals as a very “unfortunate incident”.

The deaths of the elephants in the 3m- to 4m-deep mud pool have been described as a major blow to Sabah’s conservation of pygmy elephants, which are an endangered species.

The pachyderms drowned after they were stuck in the pool for at least a week. Two others were rescued by wildlife rangers on Saturday.

The deaths have led to calls for more efforts by all stakeholders to minimise dangers to elephants and other wildlife in their areas to ensure their survival.

On Wednesday, State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun described the deaths as “a valuable lesson”.

“We need to minimise lurking dangers within the area and environment where they (the elephants) normally move,” he said, adding that both individuals and companies should take it as their duty and responsibility to protect these iconic creatures.

He said that at the very least, they should inform the Sabah Wildlife Department if they saw situations that could potentially endanger the elephants.