Jumbo Attacks Strike Fear Among Orang Asli At Gua Musang

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A house knocked over by the elephant at Kampung Kaloi in Gua Musang, Kelantan. (JKOAK pic)PETALING JAYA: The Orang Asli community at Kampung Kaloi in Gua Musang, Kelantan, are living in fear after an elephant rampaged through their village for four consecutive nights, destroying a house and crops.
And now, one of the villagers, Mustafa Along, dreads it will likely repeat following rumours that timber companies had been given the green light to log the surrounding areas.
“On the first night, it destroyed some banana trees, and on the second night, it knocked over a house but, fortunately, the family managed to escape in time,” Mustafa told FMT.
He said the elephant also damaged several motorcycles.
The elephant (centre, with light shone on) rummaging through the banana trees in the Orang Asli village. (JKOAK pic)The villagers, comprising 21 families of the Temiar tribe, are now putting up in a community hall – which they moved into after the second attack – with the men mostly keeping vigil at night.
Mustafa said the elephant would return to the forest, some 800m away from the village, after “attacking” the village.
A motorcycle damaged by the elephant. (JKOAK pic)He also said that while logging activities had led to human-wildlife conflict in the past, this was the first time an elephant had rampaged through their village.
“Previously, elephants would keep to their path in the forest, but after the trees were felled, they attacked the village. I believe they were looking for something to eat.
“But it (the latest elephant) acted violently and would charge towards us if it spotted us.”
The Orang Asli villagers taking shelter at the community hall. (JKOAK pic)Mustafa, who is a chairman of the Indigenous People’s Network of Kelantan (JKOAK), is now worried that if logging is indeed approved, elephants and other wildlife will “encroach” into their village.
“Their habitat is getting smaller,” he said, adding that he will be lodging a report with the state Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) with hopes they could provide some security for the villagers. - FMT

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