Farmers alarmed as wild elephant kills cattle in Gua Musang

GUA MUSANG - The discovery of a cow carcass on Sept 8, with wounds believed to be caused by a wild elephant’s tusk, has alarmed a group of farmers at the Kampung Awek Land Rehabilitation Programme (RPT) under the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar).

They claimed that the presence of the wild animal was detected in the area of Kampung Lembaga and RPT Sungai Terah in the last two weeks when about 200 banana and palm trees were found ruined.

Nik Arifin Nik Muhammad, 59, said he was shocked when he was told that his cow had been found dead at around 7 am last Friday.

"I was shocked and sad when I saw the carcass of the cow with a three-centimetre stab wound.

"This is the first time something like this has happened since I started cultivating rubber in this area almost 15 years ago. That is why we are afraid to go out to tap rubber and harvest bananas," he told reporters when met at the RPT Kesedar Sungai Terah here.

Another farmer in Kampung Lembaga, Ismail Awang Hamad, 60, said the wild elephant had entered his plantation several times and he even saw the animal there last week.

"So far, it has destroyed more than 100 banana trees and 80 palm trees. There are also elephant dung and footprints all over the place. A report was filed with the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) on Aug 27.

"More than 15 farmers are affected and we are afraid to work. We hope Perhilitan can catch the elephant as soon as possible," he said.

Meanwhile, Galas assemblyman Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim said the elephants in the affected areas must be captured immediately to reduce the farmers' losses. - BERNAMA