Injured bull elephant put to sleep

KOTA KINABALU: A bull elephant that suffered from injuries for the past three months after it was hit by a heavy vehicle, has been put to sleep.

It was euthanised on Tuesday after rescuers failed to nurse it back to health.

The eight-year-old elephant is believed to have been involved in an accident when it was rescued from a plantation in Sandakan on March 21.

It was found with multiple injuries, including to its head and jaw.

The elephant was affectionately named Toothie due to its condition when it was rescued, said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.

There was an abscess on its lower jaw and it was unable to close its mouth, she said.

“We cannot prolong its suffering any longer. The best decision is to put it to sleep,” she said in a statement yesterday.

The procedure, she said, was conducted by a veterinary team from the Sabah Wildlife Department and Wildlife Rescue Unit.

She said the team of vets took the elephant to the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary in Kinabatangan for dental treatment and provided it with a modified diet as it was not able to eat.

“On April 10, a more thorough dental examination and X-ray was conducted. Medical experts discovered that there was a complete fracture on the elephant’s lower jaw,” she added.

It is learnt that corrective surgery was not done as the medical team felt that the injury was too severe and the chance of success was slim.

“Toothie was nursed in captivity for three months,” she said, adding that they hoped for an improvement in its condition.

“Unfortunately, it did not improve and the fracture developed a malunion of the jaw, thus causing a permanent deformity that the animal could only cope with assisted feeding,” she said.

She said releasing Toothie back to the wild was not an option as it would not be able to feed and sustain itself.

“It would contribute to a slow, painful death,” she added.

Liew said nursing the elephant for the past three months and with a special diet formulation, cost the Wild­life Department about RM30,000.

She said the cause of its fracture was still being investigated.