Seltene Zwerg-Elefanten vergiftet ....Rare Elephants in Borneo probably poisoned

Ein 10 Monate altes Baby-Zwergelefäntchen trauert neben seiner toten Mutter. 
Das Tier ist eines von zehn, das seit dem 29. Dezember 2012 auf der Insel Borneo gestorben ist.

Der erste tote Borneo-Zwergelefant wurde am 29. Dezember 2012 gefunden, bis am 24. Januar waren es bereits zehn der seltenen Exemplare. Malayische Wildhüter vermuten, dass die Tiere vergiftet wurden.

Here the English article

Ten endangered pygmy elephants believed poisoned in the Malaysian jungle 

The adult carcasses have been found over a three-week period in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve

This was the heart-wrenching scene as a baby pygmy elephant tried to wake its dead mother believed poisoned in the Malaysian jungle.The three-month-old calf was found next to the adult carcass in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve.Ten endangered elephants - seven female and three male - have died from suspected poisoning in the past three weeks.
Wildlife officials have been unable to determine if the endangered animals were deliberately killed.

Ein Wildhüter versucht, dem Baby Wasser einzuflössen. Das Kleine harrte neben seiner toten Mutter aus.
Bild: AFP/Sabah Wildlife Department

Some elephants have been killed for their tusks on Sabah in past years, but there was no sign that these animals had been poached.
Environmental minister Masidi Manjun said: "This is a very sad day for conservation and Sabah. The death of these majestic and severely endangered Bornean elephants is a great loss to the state.
"If indeed these poor elephants were maliciously poisoned, I would personally make sure that the culprits would be brought to justice and pay for their crime."

Der WWF schätzt, dass es von den Borneo-Zwergelefanten nur noch 1000 bis 1500 Exemplare gibt. Sie gelten als äusserst zahm und sanftmütig.

Bild: AFP/Sabah Wildlife Department

The WWF wildlife group estimates that fewer than 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants exist.

They live mainly in Sabah and grow to about 8ft tall, a foot or two shorter than mainland Asian elephants.Known for their babyish faces, large ears and long tails, pygmy elephants were found to be a distinct subspecies only in 2003, after DNA testing.Their numbers have stabilised in recent years amid conservation efforts to protect their jungle habitats from being torn down for plantations and development projects.

 

 Wildhüter gehen davon aus, dass die Tiere vergiftet wurden. 
Bild: AFP/Sabah Wildlife Department

The elephants found dead this month were believed to be from the same family group and ranged in age from 4 to 20 years.Post-mortem examinations showed that they had suffered severe haemorrhages and ulcers in their gastrointestinal tracts. None had gunshot injuries.

Sources:

- 10 endangered pygmy elephants believed poisoned in Borneo/Mirror 29.01.2013

- Bildstrecke/ 20 Minuten Online