JERTIH, May 11 – The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) has relocated a bull elephant which had been roaming for the past two weeks in Kampung Pak Sik in Hulu Besut, today.
Terengganu Perhilitan director Loo Kean Seong said the elephant was captured on Wednesday, after being tracked down for two days, after receiving complaints about the animal damaging the villagers’ crops.
“A total of 21 Perhilitan personnel, including from Johor and the headquarters, were involved in the operation to relocate the elephant.
“This operation was also assisted by two female elephants, namely Suria and Indah, brought from the Sungai Deka Elephant Conservation Centre, Hulu Terengganu,” he said when met by Bernama at the location today.
Loo said that the operation, which started at 8.30 this morning, was completed about three hours later.
He added that the healthy bull elephant was relocated to a more suitable and safe natural habitat.
“With the capture and relocation of this elephant, we can avoid greater losses, which are estimated to reach up to RM1 million to the villagers, since the area is filled with various types of crops such as palm oil, bananas and other crops,” he said.
In the meantime, he said each operation to catch and relocate an elephant would involve a cost of between RM50,000 and RM70,000.
He said that today’s relocation was the third operation carried out in Terengganu this year, after one each in Dendong in Besut and Merang in Setiu.
