Dining together: A family of elephants feasting on newly planted napier grass along the banks of the Kinabatangan River.
KOTA KINABALU: Conservation groups are feeling optimistic about using napier grass to keep elephants out of conflict with humans after some 15 elephants were seen grazing on the plant along the Kinabatangan river.
The herd’s presence in Kampung Bilit late Monday came as a heartwarming sight for conservationists amid scepticism that the simple measure of grass planting could minimise human-wildlife conflict.
The animals were seen barely hours after Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew launched the plan to create an elephant food corridor at the village.
“It’s definitely a good omen coming with the launch. We see it as a positive sign in our efforts to establish the food corridor along lower Kinabatangan as these herds enjoy feeding on the napier grass.
“We have been seeing success in plots where we have grown the grass... elephants came and stayed for extended periods,” Responsible Elephant Conservation Trust (Respect) chairman Alexander Yee said when contacted.
Respect has been tasked with putting in place the food corridor with the state government obtaining the support of a Japanese company, Saraya Corporation, that will provide up to RM1mil in funds over the next five years for the project.
Yee said time will tell how successful the project would be as many NGOs have over the decades employed different approaches including electric fencing, planting fruit trees and satellite collars to reduce conflicts and elephant deaths.
However, elephant deaths from poisoning, poaching and at times brutal killings continue to occur despite efforts by stakeholders to cut down conflicts with elephants going into plantations and villages to forage for food.
“No one really knows what is the best solution or how best to move forward, we need to try and learn along the way,” said veteran conservationist Datuk Dr John Payne, also a trustee of Respect.
During the launch, Liew said the napier grass project along the Kinabatangan riverbank aims to create an alternative food source for Bornean pygmy elephants, guiding their movements away from human settlements and agricultural areas.
She pointed out that grasslands have dwindled along the river, and the idea is to plant grass in areas along the bank where there are no trees.
They are also considering wild fig trees, which are enjoyed by both elephants and other wildlife.
Liew also dismissed critics’ arguments that planting grass would lead to more elephant numbers and more management problems, arguing instead that every day an elephant feeds on the grass is a day it does not feed on oil palm.
