MANY Sabahans are proud of their state’s magnificent Mount Kinabalu and grateful for the abundance of biological resources that provide many socio-economic opportunities to them. However, recent years have witnessed many deaths of Pygmy elephants in the state, denting Sabah’s reputation in nature conservation.
With habitat destruction and fragmentation due to forest clearance for plantations, human settlements, roads and other development, Pygmy elephants are progressively being pushed into closer contact with people, which often results in increasing conflicts between humans and the species.