The world’s smallest elephant, the Bornean elephant, faces extinction with only about 1,000 individuals remaining in the wild. Despite this dire situation, conservationists believe the species can be saved.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which maintains the ‘red list’ of threatened species, habitat loss due to deforestation is the primary threat to the Bornean elephant. These elephants, which are three feet shorter than their Asian counterparts, are found exclusively on the island of Borneo and are known for their gentle and playful nature.
Benoit Goossens, a wildlife biologist at Cardiff University and director of the Danau Girang Field Centre in Sabah, expressed hope that conservation efforts can save the Bornean elephant.
The IUCN’s red list helps raise awareness and support for endangered animals, which is crucial for their conservation.
“The message of hope is that there are many organisations in Sabah, including the government, that are working very hard to conserve the elephant.”
Bornean elephants have lived on the island for hundreds or thousands of years, evolving separately from mainland elephants into a distinct population. The main threat they face is massive deforestation, which not only destroys their habitat but also forces them into conflict with humans. Most of the remaining population is found in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Professor Adrian Lister of London’s Natural History Museum noted the unique characteristics of the Bornean elephant, including its baby face and small size.
“We hope that by getting the Borneo elephants on to the Red List that will galvanise the efforts for their conservation to protect their habitat because the authorities will now see that the eyes of the world are on this species,” he said.
The expansion of the palm oil industry in Malaysia and Indonesia has led to extensive deforestation, resulting in habitat loss and increased human-wildlife conflict. Elephants often venture into human areas in search of food, where they can damage crops and face retaliatory killings. Additionally, they are at risk from hunting for ivory and accidental poisoning from agricultural chemicals, according to the IUCN.
Mike Hoffmann, ZSL’s Head of Wildlife Recovery, said: “Habitat loss, combined with conflict between people and wildlife, continues to pose a threat to both wildlife and the communities living alongside them – and this has been highlighted by the assessment of Borneo’s Asian elephants as endangered.”
The Asian elephant, the largest land mammal in Asia, inhabits 13 countries across South and Southeast Asia. The Bornean elephant has been classified as a separate subspecies on the IUCN Red List for the first time.
The IUCN’s latest red list update also highlights other severe declines globally. It has assessed over 163,000 species, with 45,000 threatened with extinction.
Notably, reptiles on Spain’s Gran Canaria and Ibiza islands are declining due to introduced non-native snakes. The Gran Canaria giant lizard is now critically endangered, and the Gran Canaria skink is endangered due to predation by the California kingsnake, introduced in 1998.
In Chile, the illegal trade of ornamental cacti, fueled by demand in Europe and Asia and facilitated by social media, threatens these plants. Climate change further endangers them, as they are slow to adapt to rising temperatures.
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