Malaysia: An elephant butts one of its caretakers
An elephant in a park in the state of Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo island, killed one of its caretakers after it was violently gored on Christmas Day, the park management said, yesterday.
Park director Augustine Tuga said: Joe Fred Lanson (49 years) was providing care for a young elephant suffering from injury, and then suddenly received a “very strong” headbutt in the chest from another elephant, indicating that he was “killed immediately.”
The incident occurred on December 25 inside Lok Kawi National Park in Borneo.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment in the state of Sabah, Jafari Arifin, commented, saying: What happened "is an unfortunate incident," adding, "We will initiate appropriate investigations to determine the causes of death."
The park houses 16 Borneo elephants, an endangered species, as only 2,000 elephants remain in Sabah.
Only six employees take care of the park's elephants.
In December 2011, an Australian tourist was killed by a wild elephant in the Tabin Nature Reserve on the eastern side of Sabah state.
Borneo elephants are a type of Asian elephant endemic to the island.
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