Johor Steps Up Measures To Curb Rising Human-elephant Conflicts

JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 24 (Bernama) -- The Johor government is strengthening control measures and taking proactive steps to address the rising number of human-elephant conflicts over the past three years.

State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said according to data from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), cases of human-elephant conflicts increased from 103 in 2020 to 253 last year, with Kluang district recording the highest number of complaints so far.

He said that although Perhilitan is under federal administration, the state government has channelled a special allocation to implement a plan to reinforce control measures for such cases.

“Perhilitan only has one professional team in Johor that handles elephant-related matters, and they successfully relocated 10 elephants to more suitable habitats in 2024.

“This year, through state coordination and financial assistance provided, 17 elephants have been relocated so far,” he said in a Facebook post today.

Ling added that a large-scale operation to capture and relocate more elephants, particularly from the Kluang district, is scheduled for October.

“The natural ecosystem is increasingly under threat due to encroachment into wildlife habitats, as well as oil palm replanting activities in areas adjacent to forests. This has resulted in more elephant herds emerging from the forests in search of food sources,” he said.

-- BERNAMA