Bornean elephant at risk of extinction
Numbers of the elephant have declined due to habitat loss.
The Bornean elephant, a subspecies of Asian elephant, is at risk of extinction, with only around a 1,000 left in the wild.
The elephant has been listed as ‘Endangered’ on the updated IUCN Red List following its first assessment as a distinct subspecies.
Numbers of the Bornean elephant have dropped in the past 75 years, with loss of its forest habitat due to logging a major factor during that period.
Further loss of habitat due to the palm oil industry, timber plantations, mining and infrastructure projects threaten the future survival of the subspecies.
However, conservation projects are being carried out to try to preserve the Bornean elephant and save it from extinction.
Augustine Tuuga, director of the Sabah Wildlife Department and member of the IUCN SSC Asian Elephant Specialist Group, said: “The last two decades have seen extensive efforts both to understand and to conserve Bornean elephants.
“These activities are vital to secure a future for this subspecies and to allow for smooth socio-economic development of the areas where the elephants are roaming.”
Compared to African and other Asian elephants, Bornean elephants are smaller, reaching heights of between 8.2 and 9.8 feet tall. The subspecies became isolated from other elephants around 300,000 years ago.
A total of 163,040 species are now listed on the IUCN Red List, with 45,321 currently assessed as being threatened with extinction.
Image © Shutterstock
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