Plantations and conservationists come together for the elephants

A file photo of an elephant uncomfortably close to the Gerik-Jeli Highway. Elephants like to hang around highways to feed on the grassy patches found alongside, however, they risk death and killing humans when they attempt to cross at night. — Meme/University of Notthingham Malaysia

Conservationist Dr Wong Ee Phin keeps a meticulous count of the number of times she hears or reads of yet another elephant death, and these days – as highways cut through forests and development carves out the rest – there are plenty.

In fact, just a day before we met after over two years of Covid-19 restrictions, a baby elephant, whose leg had to be amputated after it was caught in a snare, died in Lahad Datu, Sabah.