Jumbo problems for Sabah rangers

A wild ride: Sabah has been grappling with a lot of human-elephant conflict cases in the east coast.

KOTA KINABALU: The frequent conflict between man and beast has stretched wildlife rangers so thin so that they are calling on plantation owners and farmers to take their own initiatives to protect their crops from elephants without hurting the animals.

“There are just so many plantations and smallholdings that an elephant can enter anytime. There is no way the department can cope and provide assistance to all,” Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said.