Elephant in MalaysiaLarge numbers of elephant were found in Peninsular Malaysia until the colonial era introduced firearms and large-scale conversion of forests to other lands uses.
The establishment of rubber and oil palm plantations brought the elephant into direct conflict with people.
It was considered a pest by planters and was shot in large numbers particularly during the first quarter of the 20th century.
The elephant is now a protected species in Peninsular Malaysia.
In the 19th century the elephant occurred throughout Peninsular Malaysia. They were common everywhere except Penang and Singapore.
At the turn of the century, it was the province of Pahang and Negeri Sembilan that held most elephant in the world and Perak and Selangor the fewest.
Today, wild elephant are found in small, scattered groups in nine provinces – Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Selangor, and Terengganu.
The retreat of elephants followed the opening up of forests for monoculture plantations and by first quarter of the 20th century, elephants had become rare and absent along the western coast.
In Perak indiscriminate killing of elephants to safeguard oil palm plantations cause a decline in numbers and the pocketing of the remaining herds in small patches of forests.
Elephant in Malaysia
