SIDELINES //

Endangered Elephants Die Mysteriously, Poisoning Feared

by Steph Spencer

Borneo pygmy elephants © wht.travel

Officials in Malaysia are at a loss to explain the mysterious deaths of ten Borneo pygmy elephants. Poaching does not appear to be involved, and none of the animals had gunshot wounds. The bodies of the elephants were found near one another, and one surviving calf was discovered trying to wake its dead mother. All are believed to be from the same family group.

The leading hypothesis at the moment is that the elephants were poisoned, either intentionally or inadvertently. Sabah environmental minister Masidi Manjun has vowed to personally see that the perpetrators are brought to justice and face harsh penalties if investigators find that these severely endangered creatures were killed maliciously.

Find out more in The Toronto Star

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About the Author

Stephanie Spencer is a freelance travel writer from Canada who has been held captive by the travel industry for over 13 years. An incurable smart aleck, notorious purple fanatic, hat person, and ukulele player of questionable abilities, Stephanie explores the geeky side of travel on her blog A Nerd At Large, and dispenses random quirkiness as @ANerdAtLarge on Twitter. She truly believes that anything is possible with enough determination and copious amounts of chocolate.