Poachers hunt for ivory in Sabah

Senseless death: The remains of Sabre (inset) found on New Year’s Eve by members of the DGFC and the Wildlife Rescue Unit. The satellite collar can be seen on the left of the skull.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah woke up this New Year’s Day to a new reality; that its critically endangered Borneo Pygmy elephants are being hunted for their ivory.

In the space of just two months, two elephants – including a rare sabre-tusked animal whose rescue from a Tawau plantation in August was featured in newspapers – were found killed.