(MY) logging and elephants

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Monday July 24, 2006-The Star

 

Logging driving out elephants

 

*PASIR PUTEH (Kelantan)*: Logging activities at the Lapan Janggut Forest

Reserve are believed to be driving wild elephant herds into villages near

here.

 

" Based on records, elephants tend to venture out of the jungle areas between

7pm to 6am while the cause is likely to be logging activities. "

 

" Logging, whether legal or illegal, tends to drive away the elephants, so

they venture out of the jungles, " Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks

Department director Pazil Abdul Patah said.

 

It was reported that wild elephant herds had been encroaching into at least

seven villages which have a combined population of 20,000.

 

Pazil said he had deployed rangers to monitor the herd movements and

drive them back into the forest areas if they encroached into the villages.

 

 

As a precaution to avoid the elephants, he urged villagers not to go out at

night and to start open-air fires.

 

" Villagers can use old tyres to start the fire but they must not spook the

elephants as it might agitate them,'' he said.

 

Pazil also urged villagers to tap rubber during the day instead of starting

work in the early morning hours and to avoid venturing deep into the forest

areas.

 

In a related development, villager Ismail Mustafa, 54, from Kampung Jeram

Linang, said a group of elephants came close to his house on Friday night

and almost brought it down.

 

" The whole house shook when the elephants were moving outside, " said Ismail,

adding that elephants had been encroaching into villages for the past month.

 

 

He said at times, the elephants were even found on the village roads.

 

" Villagers are getting more uncomfortable with the elephants moving closer

and closer to their homes, " he said.