BBC News
September 1, 2007

Original Article

Most Bornean elephants
are no taller than people

Scientists helping protect the smallest and rarest elephants in the world are hoping to set up a fieldwork centre on the island of Borneo.

The Bornean elephant is only found in the northern part of the island and was recognised as a new subspecies in 2003.

Cardiff University has also studied orang-utans in the Malaysian state of Sabah, Borneo, for several years.

The rainforest where both species live has been damaged by logging and the growth of oil palm plantations.

The elephants live in the Kinabatangan flood plain in Sabah and there are thought to be around 1,500 - 2,000 in the wild.

The team from Cardiff University's school of biosciences has been working with the authorities in Sabah on conservation projects for many years.

Mike Bruford, professor of biodiversity, has just returned from Borneo where he was discussing opening the field centre along with the Sabah wildlife department.

An orang-utan swings above the toilet
of a village in the reserve

He said: "The elephants are all around, huge numbers of elephants that get very close. At the end of the day they come down to the river.

"They are the smallest elephants in world and very interesting. We've been trying to work out how habitat changes have affected them."

He said that while the larger males are above 6ft 6in (2m) tall, the majority of Bornean elephants are less tall than he is.

Prof Bruford added: "Where they used to roam freely, there are plantations all around.

"Although they are doing reasonably well, they are increasingly coming into contact with people."

Conservation charity WWF has also been tracking the elephants' movements using radio collars.

Although elephants are in trouble everywhere, said Prof Bruford, the Bornean species was "by far" the smallest population.

A management plan is currently being developed to find ways to protect them.

A man said 'would you like to see an orang-utan?'
...What he meant was, I've got one in my back garden above the dunny
Professor Mike Bruford

While in Borneo, the Cardiff University team were also finalising plans to conserve the orang-utans on the reserve and protect their habitats.

The Kinabatangan is one of the major reserves in Sabah and has large areas of oil palm plantation where the rainforest was chopped down for timber in the 1960s and '70s.

Only small patches of rainforest on either side of the river remain, explained Prof Bruford, surrounded by massive oil palm plantations that are of no use to the animals.

In Borneo, the Cardiff University team had a stark illustration of how species such as orang-utan are getting closer to people.

"We got to a village and a man said 'would you like to see an orang-utan?'. We thought he might have captured them.

"What he meant was, I've got one in my back garden above the dunny."

Ropes across rivers or roads
can help the orang-utans move around

They saw a male orang-utan just 15 metres away, swinging in the trees with the discarded husks of his fruit lunch dropping on to the toilet below.

Prof Bruford said: "There is no conflict at the moment but there could easily be.

"This type of problem in the rainforest is something we will increasingly face so it is important to work in such places."

He added: "We are continuing to work there in collaboration with the Sabah wildlife department and are setting up a little field centre with them next year."

Studies of the elephants, orang-utans and other species would be carried out there.