The Bornean elephant has just been discovered as an isolated population of it’s own subspecies for 300,000 years in the northern 5% of the island. (Kappelhof et al 2025).
The longtime legend of Pygmy elephants is now a proven fact, announced in August of this year (2025) by an independent scientific research team (Fernando et al 2023). The team verified that the Elephas maximus borneensis has been endemic to the Borneo Island for 300,000 years. (Kappelhof. et al 2025). It would seem that the elephants evolved to just the right size fit for the island and are approximately 1/3 smaller that the African Bush elephant.
The size of these founding herds is unknown, although today the Borneo Pygmy elephant exists in numbers ± 1,500. Alarmingly, there has only been 5 varied genomes of 7 different alleles identified in the population. However, only 15 elephants were sampled, both captive & wild. This leaves a possibility of finding more genetic diversity among the pygmy count of ±1,500 total, if we can keep them alive long enough to find out.(Kappelhof et al 2025). The modern world around them has developed into an extinction vortex. The industrial age affected the Borneo pygmy through habitat/water loss & pollution caused by commercial monoculture companies operating on the island. The over exploitation & killing by poachers/growers further fragment the single already isolated population of the subspecies. The multi mortality events are little extinction events, chipping away at their DNA until they can no longer reproduce & fade or collapse away into complete extinction.
Progressive human developments such as Palm Oil moncultures, that drain the richly diverse rainforests & replace vegetation with Palm trees. These monocultures are also affiliated with snares, poison, shot guns aimed at killing elephants for a lot of trees that can be easily replace. They also interfere with water use. Poaching, is not just for tuskers anymore, as bulls, cows & calves all have an equal opportunity to be slaughtered, elephant decapitation is all the rage now. Also as far as we know, this elephant population has historically been small, & resides within the upper 5% of the island, as to this date no trace of elephants have been found anywhere else on the island. The shrinking pygmys number approximately 1500 living wild, while just in 2024 there were 32 elephant deaths (Bulls, cows, calves) 4 from decapitation, while some elephants may survive severe physical damage, it often leads to premature death from infection, compromised survival abilities, unable to compete reproductively, an overall detriment ending in early death for many elephants.
The secondary assault is genetics. As every dead elephant is a missing DNA/Data point (Weiner 1994) this reflects in the current population. Genome research on 15 Borneo elephants only produced 7 different genomes (Fernando et al 2003). Eight Thailand elephants in the same study were observed to have 17 different genomes. As of now, the Pygmy population does not seem to be exhibiting inbreeding depression, but their lack of genetic diversity could weaken them against disease, pests, due to lack of adaptability, which in turn may affect immune systems, and possibly cognizance, although to this date is unproven.Also low genetic diversity makes captive animal husbandry difficult, with a limited number of animals available avoiding inbreeding is difficult (Lee et al 2009). Also the genetic drift is negatively impacted with further loss of genetic diversity as elephants have a smaller mating pool that can not be maintained in the wild especially if not at least protected. Apparently animals don’t know the fails of inbreeding, or there’s no other choice…this may be why a minority representation of island species comprises the majority of extinctions.
The DNA deleting events results in affected elephants having reduced adaptability during variations in environment/eco system, or even a demographic stochasity of losing the matriarch may be detrimental if the rest of the herd has been wiped out & only the very young are left. Also an elephant affected with a severe inbreeding mental detriment may not be able to instinctively figure it out as their instinct is warped, thus affecting their survival. This also may be a N reduction factor.
In this age of climate change, potential disasters resulting from monoculture fires (Borneo Project 2025) and drainage of peatlands impact the Borneo ecology adversely enough to have irreversible damage.
As to save the Borneo Pygmy elephant from the fate of the Borneen rhino, an extensive harvesting to start a founding population in North America will be needed. Given the state of the present Borneo elephant habitat, it’s almost like a rescue into protective custody. Harvested animals will be chipped (like cats & dogs) with their life history & genome sequence. Also wild elephants will also be chipped the same way with added AI tracking features (Akhil et al 2025), hopefully to ward off poachers afraid of having their spoils tracked. Also as chips can be scanned, this simplifies husbandry/herd information for both captive & wild herds, streamlining care for both. As the captive herds grow, individuals will be prepared for a large re-introduction event, which will coincide with smaller harvesting approximately every 10 years.
In summary, this population of 300,000 years, which may have lasted another 10,000 years on it’s own without the anthropogenic activities of Monoculture fires & water diversion, snares, poison, gunshots, angry villagers, resource loss of land/food/water, now all inclusive poaching (calves, cows & bulls), pollution. These factors compounded with scarce (known) genetic diversity of Elephas Maximus borneensis, elevate their risk of reduced adaptability against Demographic & environmental stochasity in turn affecting their survival, reducing population numbers, resulting in further DNA loss. These factors can spin out of control into an extinction vortex, with every event exacerbated by the next.
DNA Unique to Elephas maxmimus borneensis pygmaeus
“Figure 2″ below, from the paper on ” Genomics Reveals Distinct Evolutionary Line in Asian Elephants” (Kappelhof et al 2025
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.72019), illustrates the uniqueness of the Borneo elephant genome.
The following visual data can be reviewed in the paper “DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation” by Fernando et al 2003, at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0000006 or https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6233845.
Ex Situ Conservation: Little Pygmie, Big Problem
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.
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.
“When I see these gentle giants walking through my land, my heart is split in two. They are like old friends who have become unwanted guests. Last month, they came again… 10 (oil palm) trees gone, just like that,”
Md Ismail – Palm Oil Small Holding IAPhttps://www.theborneopost.com/2025/07/08/human-elephant-conflict-a-heartbreaking-dance-for-survival/
“…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.” – Dr. Senthilvel Nathan, Chief Field Veterinarian for the Sabah Wildlife Department (2024).
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.
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?
Current Protections as of 2026
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. 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.
https://www.hutan.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bornean-Elephant-State-Action-Plan-2020-2029.pdf
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.