KLUANG, Sept 20 – The “Elephant Food Bank” project in Johor will be used as a testing ground to find a long-term solution to human-elephant conflict in agricultural areas and settlements at jungle fringes.
Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Chan Foong Hin said the project, also known as the elephant feeding area, is managed by the Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) in collaboration with plantation stakeholders.
He said Johor has three food bank locations for the pachyderms: Kampung Orang Asli Kudung, Muntahak and Ladang Landak and each food bank location, with an area of over 1 hectare, planted with banana trees and Napier grass was opened last year.
“We (the ministry) were informed by Perhilitan that they planted banana trees and Napier grass because both are the favourite food of the mammals,
“If the project proves successful and can reduce the elephant-human conflict, we will also implement it in collaboration with Perhilitan in other states,” he said after visiting the Ladang Landak Elephant Food Project in Paloh, on Thursday.
He explained that creating the feeding area would enable elephants to concentrate in a particular location to look for food and not disturb crops, especially palm oil planted at the jungle fringe.
“The elephants will choose to eat the pulp of newly planted oil palm trees if there is no other food available, and we need to avoid this, which is why the elephant food bank was implemented,” he said.
