Trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre by Environmental Students

Well hello hello there!

On 8th April 2013, all the Biotech Environmental students went for an educational trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre or popularly referred to as the Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary.

It was set up for wild and abandoned elephant for rehabilitation before being released back to the wild area that is the natural habitat to this wild beast. It was surely a worthwhile visit indeed! :)

It is located within the bio diversified-rich and protected Krau Game reserve and was set up in 1989 under the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, Malaysia and manned by the Elephant Capture & Translocation Unit.

However, before visiting the elephant sanctuary area, the environmental students had a quick visit to Biodiversity Institution at Kuala Gandah, Pahang that was located nearby.

 

Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre was before a base for the Elephant Relocation Team which started in 1974. Over the past 25 years the team has successfully relocated around 400 elephants to national parks, bringing the wild elephant population in Malaysia from an alarming low of 500 to about 1200 on 2013.

At the elephant sanctuary, it offered visitors a hands-on introduction to those largest mammals on earth. Worker elephants are trained to help "guide and mother" others during the relocation process to National Park wildlife sanctuaries. Visitors are invited to help bath them in the shallow river or ride them. The juniors actually have sense of humor, so watch out for a dunking as you try to clamber up their backs!!

 

One of the students said that, "This trip is a rare and fantastic opportunity to get up close to endemic Malaysia elephants and once a life time experience" :')

Sincerely,