Isolating dangerous elephants a temporary measure, says Sabah's wildlife dept
Augustine Tuuga
Its director Augustine Tuuga said dangerous elephants were currently in isolated.
"This temporary measure was to ensure they were not denied freedom as usually they were chained.
"We will encourage them to have freedom of movement by placing them in a comfortable facility," he said in a statement on Friday.
The wildlife park's head of the elephant unit, Joe Fred Lansou, 49, was gored by an adult male elephant within its enclosure at about 8.30am on December 25.
Lansou was treating a calf elephant for an injury within the enclosure when it happened.
The adult elephant, named Kejora@Joe, was the sole survivor of a deadly poisoning incident that killed a herd of 14 Borneo pygmy elephants nine years ago. Kejora was a calf when it was taken in to be cared for at the wildlife park.
Augustine said Sabah does not have enough facilities to care for the elephants unless the government could provide sufficient allocations.
Another method s sending them overseas where there is enough facilities for it to have freedom without being caged in a tight area or chained.
"The welfare of elephants is the most crucial aspect while in captivity. There are too many elephants in captivity in Sabah currently while existing facilities can't accommodate their freedom to move in a wide area," he said.
Augustine said the number of staff caring for the animals had dropped too. "Most workers are sponsored or paid by non-governmental organisations (NGOs)," he added.
