Elephants in the rainforests of Borneo are facing an alarming new threat beyond traditional poaching. Malaysian wildlife officials say at least 13 endangered Bornean elephants have been killed for their ivory since July 2024 along a roughly 150-mile stretch of highway in Sabah state. In several cases, the animals were found with their heads removed, a method authorities say allows poachers to take tusks quickly and avoid detection.
According to officials cited by the New York Times, one incident in April involved a young male elephant discovered near the roadside, close to the edge of the jungle. Members of the same herd were seen nearby before retreating into the forest. Wildlife ranger Henry Jamis said the scene left him shocked and struggling to understand the cruelty involved.
Investigators believe the killings are linked to a single local poaching syndicate of four to six men who operate at night when traffic is light. Authorities say the group uses homemade firearms to kill the animals and then removes the skull or head so the ivory can be extracted later. Conservationists explain that this method reduces the time poachers spend at the scene, lowering the risk of being caught.
Rahimatsah Amat, founder of the Sabah Environmental Trust, said the approach is driven by speed and efficiency. Extracting tusks on-site is difficult and time-consuming, he noted, so removing the head allows poachers to leave quickly and process the ivory elsewhere.
Only about 1,000 Bornean elephants remain in the wild, most of them in northeastern Borneo. CNN reports the species is the smallest elephant in the world. Many of the recent killings occurred near the Damai Rainforest Landscape, a key conservation corridor that environmental groups say is increasingly threatened by development.
Wildlife rangers fear the true number of elephants killed may be higher, as some carcasses may still be hidden deep in the forest. Ranger Dionysius Fedilis said the loss of the young elephant was especially painful. Seeing the remains weeks later, he said, underscored how close the species is to disappearing altogether.