Malaysia

100 elephants use Sabah research facility as ‘playground’, building mildly damaged

Danau Girang Field Centre, however, says ‘it happens’ as ‘we live in their home’

Updated 4 years ago · Published on 10 Jul 2022 6:54PM

100 elephants use Sabah research facility as ‘playground’, building mildly damaged
The Danau Girang Field Centre posts pictures on its Facebook page of the damage caused by the animals but says no one was harmed by the incident. – Danau Girang Field Centre Facebook pic, July 10, 2022

by Rebecca Chong

SANDAKAN – A herd of more than 100 elephants damaged the building of the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) facility in Kinabatangan last night when they passed by the premises.

The DGFC posted pictures on its Facebook page of the damage caused by the animals but said no one was harmed by the incident.

The stairs outside of the building and a water tank were damaged.

However, DGFC director Benoit Goossens told The Vibes that the aforementioned elephants come by a few times a year as the centre is in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

“This is not an issue. It happens. We just live with it. They (elephants) come to our place two to three times a year. They use it as a playground, and we are fine with it.

The stairs outside of the building and a water tank were damaged. – Danau Girang Field Centre Facebook pic, July 10, 2022
The stairs outside of the building and a water tank were damaged. – Danau Girang Field Centre Facebook pic, July 10, 2022

“(After all) we live in their home. We are in their forest.”

He added that the Facebook images are only aimed at updating the public about the presence of the herd in the area and not intended to blame the elephants.

The DGFC is a collaborative research and training facility owned by the Sabah Wildlife Department and is co-managed with Cardiff University. – The Vibes, July 10, 2022

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