The Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) has relocated a wild bull elephant today after it destroyed crops belonging to villagers at Kampung Dendong, Batu Melintang here.
Its director, Mohammad Khairi Ahmad said the relocation operation on the three-tonne elephant to Kenyir National Park in Terengganu was conducted with assistance from the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre, Pahang. “We used two female elephants, known as Rambai and Amboi, to entice the wild elephant before being relocated to the National Park,” he told reporters after the relocation operation here today. Mohammad Khairi said a total of 16 personnel from the department and the conservation centre were involved in the four-hour operation which began at 9am. “We have received complaints from the villagers here about the wild elephant destroying crops such as bananas and rubber seedlings on July 7 and investigated two days later before setting a trap to catch the animal,” he said. He said the bull elephant was caught on July 10 in a forest near the village. The department has identified three to five other wild elephants roaming the forest area and into the village,” he said. He said the department had caught a wild bull elephant in Kampung Salor near Kampung Dendong three months ago. “We will continue to monitor and catch the remaining elephants to prevent them from ravaging the villagers’ crops,” he said.