10 Endangered Pygmy Elephants Poisoned in Malaysian Forest

Ten endangered Borneo pygmy elephants have been found dead in a reserve in Malaysia over the past month and the officials suspect that these animals may have been poisoned, reports BBC.

According to the Wildlife Director Laurentius Ambu, seven males and three female elephants were found dead in the forest of Tawautown in the eastern state of Sabah that is located at a distance of 1,800 km east of Kaula Lampur, reports Nation Multimedia.

The carcasses were found near each other over the past three weeks in the Gunug Forest Reserve. They spotted a three month old calf alongside the body of its mother attempting to wake her.  It isn't clear whether these animals were deliberately killed.

It was on Dec. 29 that they first spotted a dead elephant and the last one was found on Jan. 24.

According to WWF, less than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants exist.  Because of efforts of the conservationists  their numbers have stabilized. They mainly reside in the Sabah and grow upto 8 ft tall.

The officials reported that the elephants belonged to the same family group. Since all these elephants had their tusks, it was clear that they were not killed for their tusks.

"This is a very sad day for conservation and Sabah. The death of these majestic and severely endangered Bornean elephants is a great loss to the state," said environment minister Masidi Manjun of Malaysia to Mirror News, " If indeed these poor elephants were maliciously poisoned, I would personally make sure that the culprits would be brought to justice and pay for their crime."