KOTA BHARU: The Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) captured three wild elephants roaming in Kampung Kuala Balah, Jeli, yesterday.
Kelantan Perhilitan director Mohamad Hafid Rohani said the department received complaints about the presence of the mammals at the location two days ago.
Acting on the complaints, the Jeli district Perhilitan and Kelantan Elephant Capture Unit conducted monitoring and subsequently captured the three large animals.
“The capture of the wild elephants has somewhat relieved the residents and prevented continuous losses due to the destruction of crops and property caused by the elephant conflict.
“The operation to relocate and release the wild elephants to a more suitable and safe habitat will be carried out soon with the assistance of staff from the National Elephant Conservation Centre in Kuala Gandah, Lanchang, Pahang,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Mohamad Hafid added that actions to reduce conflicts in the area were carried out by providing advisory services to residents, particularly farmers, to take more effective mitigation measures.
“These measures include installing blue light-emitting devices on pathways identified as elephant entry points to farms, regularly clearing farms to prevent overgrowth, and constructing an Elephant Electric Fence System (SPEG) around the farm area.
“Perhilitan also wishes to inform that capturing and relocating problematic wild elephants is not a long-term solution since the farm areas are located near the Stong Utara Permanent Forest Reserve,” he said.
