Wildlife park cares for baby pygmy elephant
- 11 years ago
EDIT CONTAINS 4:3 MATERIAL
EDITOR'S NOTE: MATERIAL CONTIANS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
This three month old pygmy elephant named Joe is getting some attention from a caretaker who, for now, is his only family.
Joe was orphaned recently when his mother and 13 other pygmy elephants were found dead in a rainforest near a plantation in Borneo.
Results from a chemical investigation are set to be released on Friday, but early speculation suggests the elephants died after eating something poisonous... perhaps left by plantation workers to stop wild animals from eating their crops.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WWF-MALAYSIA, DIONYSIUS S.K. SHARMA SAYING:
"And of course the chemist report will provide some information as to what chemicals were found in the tissues of elephants. And if at all those chemicals can be traced back to chemicals generally used in the plantation industry, for example, then we have an indication of where the chemicals came from, it provides more guidance in terms of how they were killed, or even who killed them for example."
Borneo Island is home to several endangered species like the Orangutan, the clouded leopard and these pygmy elephants, which are small and more gentle than other Asian elephants.
The WWF estimates there are less than 1500 of these elephants left in the wild.
EDITOR'S NOTE: MATERIAL CONTIANS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
This three month old pygmy elephant named Joe is getting some attention from a caretaker who, for now, is his only family.
Joe was orphaned recently when his mother and 13 other pygmy elephants were found dead in a rainforest near a plantation in Borneo.
Results from a chemical investigation are set to be released on Friday, but early speculation suggests the elephants died after eating something poisonous... perhaps left by plantation workers to stop wild animals from eating their crops.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WWF-MALAYSIA, DIONYSIUS S.K. SHARMA SAYING:
"And of course the chemist report will provide some information as to what chemicals were found in the tissues of elephants. And if at all those chemicals can be traced back to chemicals generally used in the plantation industry, for example, then we have an indication of where the chemicals came from, it provides more guidance in terms of how they were killed, or even who killed them for example."
Borneo Island is home to several endangered species like the Orangutan, the clouded leopard and these pygmy elephants, which are small and more gentle than other Asian elephants.
The WWF estimates there are less than 1500 of these elephants left in the wild.