Last Saturday, several images and videos showing four elephants discovered dead in a plantation circulated on social media. (X pic)
PETALING JAYA: The wildlife and national parks department (Perhilitan) is looking for witnesses with information on the four elephants that were found dead in a fruit orchard in Kluang, Johor last Saturday.
Natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad urged those with information on the case to contact Perhilitan immediately at 1-800-88-5151.
The minister said the department has been conducting surveillance and checks on the surrounding area to determine the cause behind the death of the animals.
A preliminary report showed that the four elephants were from a group that resided in the Lenggor, Kluang, Labir and Sembrong forest reserves as well as the Endau Rompin national park.
“These main habitats are surrounded by agricultural and farming land, as well as residential areas,” he said in a statement.
Nik Nazmi acknowledged that conflicts between elephants and humans were caused by the former’s loss of habitat due to land being used for farming or infrastructure development.
“Through Perhilitan, the ministry has always made an effort to manage conflicts between wildlife and humans. However, this requires the cooperation and involvement of the state governments and farmers.
“I therefore urge farmers to be more caring about the ecosystem surrounding their farms and to implement good agricultural practices,” he said.
Last week, several images and videos showing the four dead elephants at a plantation went viral on social media.
Johor Perhilitan was reported to have said that it would perform a thorough necropsy on the animals to determine the cause of death, as it could not confirm if they died from poisoning or other causes.
