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Elephant Habitat Survey
The Bornean elephant sub-species has recently been confirmed as a separate taxon, dramatically increasing its importance in terms of biodiversity. In a recent general survey, the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) estimated that about 1,200-1,500 elephants survived in Borneo. This survey showed that the remnant populations were mainly found in eastern Sabah, and were highly fragmented. The Bornean elephant is thus the world’s most endangered member of the Proboscidae family, highlighting the urgent need to undertake sound conservation action in the near future. However, information on the distribution and movement of the individuals, their mating system and dispersal, genetic differentiation between populations, and threats to genetic diversity is currently lacking.
The program, overseen by Nurzhafarina Othman and Dr, Benoit Goossens at the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, Borneo, will concentrate efforts on the Kinabatangan elephant population, and gather information on the social behavior and mating strategies of the Bornean elephant, using three different approaches: (1) satellite-tracking of three individuals (one adult female, one adult male and one adolescent male); (2) behavioural observations of 3-5 family units; and (3) paternity and relatedness analyses using non-invasive genetic samples such as dung.
Nurzhafarina Othman started working on the Bornean elephant population in Sabah in 2005 when she carried out a study on the morphological differences between captive elephants in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia for her Bachelor degree. She then started a Master at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah and was taken as a trainee under a Darwin Initiative project on the conservation genetics of the Bornean elephant led by Dr. Benoit Goossens from Cardiff University. Since then, she has become more involved in conservation and management of the Bornean elephant in Sabah. Her latest project for which she obtained a scholarship from Houston Zoo will focus on the social behavior and mating system of the Bornean elephant in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
One of the most important legacies of this project will be the first population biology study of the Bornean elephant, including a habitat analysis for the elephant population and the incorporation of this information into a management plan using ecology, demography, behavior, and genetics.
Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary:
The establishment of protected areas is at the forefront of efforts to conserve biodiversity. Due to its remarkable wildlife diversity and abundance, including the orang-utan (about 1,100 individuals), the proboscis monkey (about 3,000 individuals) and the elephant (about 150-200 individuals), 26,000 hectare of forests located in the wetlands of the Kinabatangan floodplain were gazetted as the “Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary” (LKWS) by the State Government of Sabah on August 11th, 2005. This was the first terrestrial protected area in Sabah to be under the full jurisdiction of the SWD.
The forested wildlife corridor is surrounded by areas of increasing human activity by local communities and extensive palm oil plantations. Recent habitat reduction and fragmentation have resulted in many environmental issues, including river pollution, an increased rate of wildlife/human conflicts, depletion of timber and wildlife resources, tourism-related disturbances and a lack of space to develop new economic activities. It was feared that the ever-increasing human pressure on the last remaining natural resources of this floodplain might jeopardize the viability of these habitats in the long-term.
If you would like to help the Houston Zoo support elephant conservation efforts in Borneo, please click on the donate button below.
