PUTRAJAYA, July 3 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) plans to build 21 more elephant food banks in Johor to keep elephants away from residential and agricultural areas, reducing human-elephant conflict.
Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the project would complement the three existing elephant food banks in the state.
“The ministry is also implementing several measures to manage human-wildlife conflict more effectively and sustainably, including the development of an Elephant Electric Fence System to protect high-risk areas and enhance the safety of nearby communities.
“In addition, NRES is developing the Johor Elephant Sanctuary in phases to enable more systematic habitat management,” he said in a statement today.
Arthur said the government also provides Property and Crop Loss Assistance to owners who suffer losses caused by wildlife, including elephants.
A total of 76,361 wildlife conflict complaints were recorded nationwide between 2021 and May 2026, involving estimated losses of RM58.7 million, he said.
According to Arthur, the conflict is driven by several interrelated factors, including habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation caused by land clearing, infrastructure development, agricultural activities and changes in land use, as well as the growing populations of both humans and elephants.
These factors have disrupted elephants' traditional migration routes, increasing the likelihood of encounters between the animals and humans.
He said NRES will continue strengthening mitigation efforts through elephant translocation operations, the development of wildlife corridors, research and the implementation of the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan (NECAP) 2.0.
Referring to the recent incident in which a baby elephant was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Jalan Felda Nitar in Mersing, Johor, Arthur urged the public not to view the tragedy as an isolated incident but as a reminder of the need to strike a balance between development, public safety and wildlife conservation through the cooperation of all stakeholders.
He said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) acted immediately to manage the elephant calf, taking into account the public's reaction and emotions, adding that the ministry viewed every wildlife-related incident seriously.
A video that recently went viral on social media showed a female elephant refusing to leave her dead calf after it was struck by a Perodua Bezza in the 2.28 am incident.
“The ministry is also implementing several measures to manage human-wildlife conflict more effectively and sustainably, including the development of an Elephant Electric Fence System to protect high-risk areas and enhance the safety of nearby communities.
“In addition, NRES is developing the Johor Elephant Sanctuary in phases to enable more systematic habitat management,” he said in a statement today.
Arthur said the government also provides Property and Crop Loss Assistance to owners who suffer losses caused by wildlife, including elephants.
A total of 76,361 wildlife conflict complaints were recorded nationwide between 2021 and May 2026, involving estimated losses of RM58.7 million, he said.
According to Arthur, the conflict is driven by several interrelated factors, including habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation caused by land clearing, infrastructure development, agricultural activities and changes in land use, as well as the growing populations of both humans and elephants.
These factors have disrupted elephants' traditional migration routes, increasing the likelihood of encounters between the animals and humans.
He said NRES will continue strengthening mitigation efforts through elephant translocation operations, the development of wildlife corridors, research and the implementation of the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan (NECAP) 2.0.
Referring to the recent incident in which a baby elephant was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Jalan Felda Nitar in Mersing, Johor, Arthur urged the public not to view the tragedy as an isolated incident but as a reminder of the need to strike a balance between development, public safety and wildlife conservation through the cooperation of all stakeholders.
He said the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) acted immediately to manage the elephant calf, taking into account the public's reaction and emotions, adding that the ministry viewed every wildlife-related incident seriously.
A video that recently went viral on social media showed a female elephant refusing to leave her dead calf after it was struck by a Perodua Bezza in the 2.28 am incident.