40 wild elephants roaming forests near Pos Gob
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Approximately 40 wild elephants are believed to be inhabiting the forests surrounding Pos Gob, where their migration paths intersect with nearby human settlements. According to Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department director Wan Mohd Adib Wan Yusoh, these elephants are part of the ID Nenggiri herd. The elephants may emerge at any moment while traversing the forest in search of sustenance.
Due to the proximity of some human settlements to their natural routes, their presence can pose a threat if they are approached or provoked, he stated. On August 24, a mature male elephant was observed near the Kembara Rakyat Nenggiri programme campsite in Pos Gob at 4am, causing alarm among approximately 150 attendees. This incident has reignited concerns regarding human-elephant conflict in the isolated Orang Asli community, situated within the Balah Permanent Forest Reserve.
Wan Mohd Adib has pledged that Perhilitan officers will be dispatched to monitor the area. He advised the public to maintain a safe distance from wild elephants or to use vehicle horns or flashlights to deter them. Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan lecturer Associate Professor Dr Kamarul Ariffin Kambali has suggested that land clearing, expansion of plantations, and the Nenggiri dam project could exacerbate the disruption of elephant habitats, compelling the animals to venture closer to human settlements.
He proposed the establishment of food banks within the forest as well as electric fencing or sandbag barriers to mitigate encounters between elephants and local communities. Nenggiri assemblyman Mohd Azmawi Fikri Abdul Ghani lamented that wildlife conflicts in Pos Gob have been ongoing for two years and called for a comprehensive solution to safeguard residents.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
