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New Straits Times

Kelantan Wildlife Dept captures wild elephant in Kuala Krai

KUALA KRAI: The State Wildlife Department has captured a wild elephant that had been causing repeated disturbances and damaging crops in Kampung Slow Mengkuang here. Kelantan Wildlife director Mohamad Hafidz Rohani said the male elephant was captured at the village yesterday. He said the department had received a complaint about the elephant disturbance on July 2. "Following the report, our team from Kuala Krai, together with the Kelantan Elephant Capture Unit, were deployed to the scene. The elephant was successfully captured on July 7," he said. He added the capture of the elephant brought some relief to residents in the area who had suffered recurring losses due to damaged crops and property caused by the elephant. He said the elephant would be relocated and released into a more suitable and safer habitat soon, with assistance from the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre in Lanchang, Pahang. Hafidz said the department has also been providing advisory services to local farmers to help reduce human-elephant conflict. These include encouraging preventive measures such as installing blue LED lights along elephant entry routes into farmland and clearing undergrowth to avoid attracting the animals. "Other measures that villagers need to take include constructing the Elephant Electric Fencing System (SPEG) around their smallholdings," he added. However, he noted that capturing and relocating wild elephants was not a long-term solution, as the affected farmlands are located near the Serasa and Ulu Temiang Permanent Forest Reserves, where over 20 wild elephants are believed to roam. "As such, we urge farmers to adopt more effective measures such as building elephant trenches or SPEG fences to prevent future incursions," he said. He added that the SPEG system has proven to be one of the most effective methods to deter wild elephants, but must be constructed according to proper specifications to function effectively. The public is also advised to remain vigilant and avoid taking any unnecessary risks when encountering wild animals.