07-Aug-24 15:00

Dr Nurzhafarina Othman, Senior Lecturer, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Director, Seratu Aatai

The International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is globally recognised as a barometer of the world's biodiversity. This year, the Red list includes over 163,000 species of animals, fungi, and plants, with 28% of them threatened with extinction. One notable mention: our very own Bornean pygmy elephant. Scientists believe there are only about 1,000 animals remaining in the wild, with their population declining over the past 75 years due primarily to extensive logging in Borneo, and subsequent habitat loss.  Ahead of World Elephant Day on the 12th of August, we catch up with elephant ecologist Dr. Nurzhafarina Othman, a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah, and the Director of Seratu Aatai, an NGO working on fostering peaceful human-elephant coexistence in Sabah, to discuss the troubling new status of the Borneo pygmy elephant, but also how it may help shed more light on these minute pachyderms, and ensure their survival for the future.

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