TAWAU: A group of fishermen who went fishing at Sungai Udin in Dumpas near here two days ago made a startling discovery when they found a dead Borneo pygmy elephant tied to a tree.
It was learnt that the elephant also had gunshot wounds on its body.
Tawau Wildlife Department officer Sailun Aris when contacted confirmed to have received a report on the discovery, and said the department has yet to identify the age and gender of the elephant.
“We have sent a team to the location at around 8.30 this morning to retrieve the carcass from the river,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the department will investigate further on the matter.
He added that his department only received the information on the discovery of the dead elephant yesterday, which has also gone viral on social media, but could only conduct checks this morning.
“We received the information yesterday. Our personnel are now at the location and an investigation is still ongoing. We will conduct a post-mortem later in the day to determine the cause of death,” he concluded.