My name is Rachael DeLeon Bailey. This website is nothing more than my digital desk of notes, writings, and readings. I have been away from animal care for awhile. As I thoroughly familiarize myself with the modern-day elephant problems, I see they are pretty much the same. Regretfully, the Borneo elephants are disappearing at an alarming rate, With 131 elephant deaths recorded between 2010 -2019. In reaction, the Borneo Elephant Action Plan For Sabah 2020-2029 was assembled by the Sabah Wildlife Department (2020).
https://www.hutan.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bornean-Elephant-State-Action-Plan-2020-2029.pdf
This plan developed to mitigate anthropogenic effects on the Boreal Elephant population. The five main problems facing Borneo Elephants, alone not to mention the other elephant species, but whom are just as adversely affected by similar if not the same issues:
1. Habitat loss: Encroaching development, agriculture, logging 2. Human – elephant conflict. Snares placed directly in known elephant habitats adjacent to monoculture plantations. Evidence of animals being shot. 3. Poaching and snaring. Intentional activities. 4. Logging. Frequently damages ecology, while injuring/killing wildlife. Disturbs waterways, water use, to human populations as well. 5. Dwindling Genetic Diversity. The reduced contact/access between elephant populations due to habitat loss/fracturing, human-elephant conflicts, poachers and snaring, and loss of resource access by 2019 resulted in 131 Borneo elephant deaths.
So while it would seem that wild animals belong in the wild, the wild is disappearing, almost at an exponential rate. With the deaths being a constant via one cause or another, the point is, they are dying faster than earth can grow them.
How long does it take to grow 131 elephants?
The primary loss of continuous habitat forests converted for agriculture results in 60% of elephant habitat loss. The umbrella of elephant corridors also help harbor other forest species. Their size requires access to resources of their large home forests that quickly disappear under the footprint of anthropogenic developments, Palm oil monocultures, logging and other agriculture.
Precious Pygmy elephant genes destroyed by snare injuries.
As the Borneo Pygmy Elephants populations disappear, we are left to woe and wonder over an innocently suffering beast, whom reminds us of their once majestic presence with an occasional bloated corpse in the forest.
Snares set by palm oil workers taking a toll on pygmy elephants of Borneo
MONGA BAY.COM (October 12, 2008)
Maybe just my opinion, but every time any of the pygmies die, there is DNA loss. I think this, along with the splintering rate, their habitat is shrinking, and cutting off bull & herd contacts will affect DNA diversity. Also known as inbreeding. Also, having all the world’s Pygmys in one place, in an already fragile ecosystem, trying to survive in the shadow of monoculture giants, a large disaster, even natural, in theory, a singular destructive event could wipe out how many more?! As natural flooding already contributes to habitat fragmenting.
Besides the recurring (wicked) problems that Borneo wildlife faces, this careless “Trapping,” even when accidental, is a potential “Last Of Something” that we ignorantly destroy and dispose of. The severity of some injuries are such that baby elephants quickly develop gangrene and die because wound treatment is difficult due to the elephants tight protective social structure. Tranquilizing and scaring off the rest of the herd to collect and treat snared elephant would probably involve amputation and captivity. Deemed too cruel (and probably too expensive) to live handicapped in captivity.
The permanent presence of people already agitates elephant populations one way or another, so the effort to disassociate from any actions the animal may consider negative/aggressive, should be considered.
According to Dr. Senthilvel Nathan, Chief Field Veterinarian for the Sabah Wildlife Department.
“…we know elephants are highly intelligent and once they recognize that humans have taken one of their young. This could develop into a more serious problem as they might become more aggressive towards humans.”
All these anthropogenic activities considered, how long, if ever, will it take for corrective action? If there are only approximately 1,500 left in the wild, and the world lost 131 (known) Borneo Elephants in 9 years? How many can be lost within 20 years? With new water and land use by anthropogenic developments, will the death rate go down or up? Will there habitat forests continue to be fractured?
Living Seed Banks
While zoos are not appreciated by all, I feel that zoos and aquariums are paramount in the conservation and proliferation of all elephants. I think this because of all the afore mentioned wildlife afflictions that are in constant motion causing wicked problems for all wildlife, especially the endangered. The human populace of Borneo seems to become less and less caring of wildlife and more objective towards big monocultures. While there are collar programs, and other protective rights in place, these do not carry a lot of weight as proving guilt is difficult due to the seclusion of the forest.
Zoos can be at the forefront of the conservation and proliferation of Elephas maximus borneensis. I think that evacuating at least 2 – 3 breeding pairs would be a good start. Dispersing these living seed banks into varied areas as a protection measure. I feel that the elephants disabled by snares can be successfully imported to different locations, to be successfully bred. The purpose: To eventually breed back to wild elephant populations. As the “Snare” babies suffer such injuries, due to a few factors, they are left to die. In reality there is nothing wrong with these “snare” babies. Of course, returning to the wild with such disabilities to their body puts them at a detriment. It’s also said that their life at a facility would be depressing and lacking, I think that their life in a facility CAN be rewarding and very informative in the way of research. Their lives as ambassadors to the human world can be communication of education. Can you imagine the insight an elephant could give you? As zoo residents they should be slightly spoiled and pampered, why not? Instead of imposing care costs at a native facility, why not let zoos purchase to help offset the costs of the next snare baby? Offset funding could also go towards healthy elephants in the wild. Partial Profits made by zoo exhibition of elephant can also be invested back to Borneo directly. Also, as a zoo ambassador, they will have access to treatments and prosthetics. Prosthetic use would be a real attention-getter for the pygmies cause. Also I am now painfully aware of the PALM OIL monoculture. Elephant herds (up to 15 elephants) have been known to be poisoned and killed off in one day.
I think a world-class zoo with medical facilities and a truck scale would be good candidates as, ideally, they would be administering treatments and furnishing prosthetics. Even without prosthetics, studies could be done a lot more thoroughly with a “trained” elephant that can be “handled”. I know the word “Trained” may conjure up visions of cruelty and forced tricks for entertainment. To that I offer, again modern methods. Just as dentistry has made wonderful innovations and advancements. My childhood dentist, a real nice gentleman, and a family friend as well, had a very archaic set of needles. Thinking back, his “small” needle was comparable to my .005 pen. Very fine for a pen, not so fine of a needle. Of course it was not his purpose to torture me,. and put me thru agony and fear, but it was necessary to treat my teeth, and that was the set of tools he had. Thankfully, no one uses those anymore. So all those tricks actually started out as exercises, as elephants sometimes have a constipation problem because their intestinal peristalsis and segmentation are affected by walking or lack thereof. So what may have seemed like making an elephant grovel, was just a way of teaching the elephant to stretch, etc. Now modern days have modern ways. My grandfather raised his elephant with almost no reinforcement with bull hook. The hook should be used to let the elephant know where you are, and give direction, unless your elephant understands left, right, down, up. This can be done with the right information with patience, determination, and focus, and a newly designed tool. If this can be done with injured pygmies, why not any injured elephant deemed a burden and unable to return to the wild? The animals can be bred to conserve and proliferate. Probably a little deeper than that, but that’s all I have for now.
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