Fourteen Borneo Elephants Dead - Now What?

By now, wildlife enthusiasts everywhere have heard about the travesty that has become the recent Borneo pygmy elephant case.

The death toll, surpassing fourteen individuals, is a devastating blow to the already fragile population of Bornean elephants. The most heart-wrenching portion of the story is attributed to the young calf, cowering over his dead mother's carcass, that has since been rescued by national officials. The calf, christened "Joe," now resides at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, but is not left unscarred by the passing of his mother and of his family.

Bornean pygmy elephants were only recently distinguished as a sub-species separate from their mainland cousins. With a population teetering around 1000, living in only small areas of the Malaysian state of Sabah, they are a CITES Appendix I Endangered Species.

Preliminary investigations point to poisoning by illegal loggers. All the animals were found with ruptured digestive organs.

While we are not anti-development, seeing development as a necessary step to improve a country, we do condone the activities of illegal loggers in protected areas. These elephants were killed on their own turf, by people who were not meant to be in the vicinity.

We hope those responsible will receive the proper sentencing.

Baby Joe tries to awaken his dead mother.
Image property of Reuters via The Guardian.