Borneo Pygmy Elephant
Around 1,500 Borneo pygmy elephants remain. The Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest subspecies of Asian elephant, endemic to the island of Borneo. They are one of the least-studied elephants in the world.
Common Name:
Borneo Pygmy Elephant
Scientific Name:
Elephas maximus borneensis
Status:
Endangered
Weight:
2,950-5,000 kg (6,600-11,000 lb.)
Size:
2.5-3m (8.2-9.8 ft.) tall
Habitats:
Lowland tropical moist forest
Continent:
Asia
GC Sites:
Partners:
Sabah Foundation
Borneo Elephant Global Population Size Over Time by Year and Estimated Population:
1980 — 500-2,000
2008 — 1,184-3,652
2021 — ~1,500
Current and historic range of Bornean elephants (Alfred et al. 2010).
The Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest subspecies of Asian elephant, endemic to the island of Borneo. They are one of the least-studied elephants in the world.
After being isolated from other Asian elephants around 300,000 years ago, Bornean elephants became smaller, developing proportionally larger ears, longer tails, and straighter tusks than their mainland relatives.
Borneo elephants are sociable animals that live in matriarchal hierarchy. They form small groups of 8 individuals on average, which are dominated by females. However, on riverbanks and other open feeding areas, these animals can be seen in larger groups. Groups of this species are family units, typically consisting of mothers, daughters, sisters and immature males. Mature males tend to live solitarily or form temporary bull herds. Family units occasionally gather together. This association is highly beneficial for them, helping keep genetic diversity, which, in turn, is vital for their further evolution and survival.
Did you know? Once believed to be remnants of a domesticated herd given to the Sultan of Sulu in the 17th century, Bornean elephants were determined by WWF to be genetically different from other Asian elephants. DNA evidence proved that these elephants were naturally isolated about 300,000 years ago from their cousins on mainland Asia and Sumatra, possibly by traveling across land bridges from mainland Asia.
These active elephants are known to wander throughout their habitat, travelling up to 25 - 30 miles a day. Borneo elephants are migratory animals. Seasonal migration helps the elephants keep themselves in good physical shape. In addition, when travelling, Borneo elephants often cross rivers and prove themselves to be excellent swimmers.
Little is known about the mating and reproductive behaviors of Borneo elephants. A single calf is produced after a gestation period of 19 – 22 months. The baby feeds upon maternal milk for 3 – 4 years, reaching sexual maturity by 10 years old.
With around 1,500 individuals remaining in the wild, this species is currently threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting and poaching, and reduced genetic diversity. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations.
Did you know? A Borneo elephant can live for 60-75 years.
Threats
Borneo pygmy elephants are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting and poaching, and reduced genetic diversity due to their small population size.
As with all elephant species, the demand for ivory has been an ever-increasing threat. Elephants across Africa and Asia have declined as poachers kill them for their tusks. Recently, demand for their skin has also been ramping up and driving up poaching.
As their natural forest habitat is destroyed to make way for agriculture such as palm oil plantations, Borneo elephants are often forced to feed on crops. This frequently leads to human-wildlife conflict, during which elephants are often killed. For this reason, sustainable agriculture and public awareness are among the main priorities to conserve this species.
Infrastructure development has worsened the situation by reducing habitat connectivity and leaving animals isolated in small patches of forest unable to breed with other members of the local population and reducing genetic variability.
As the human population in this region will only continue to expand, it is essential to ensure human-elephant coexistence to reduce retaliation killing and accidental deaths in traps set by hunters. The design and implementation of elephant-friendly infrastructure must also be prioritized as it will allow for subpopulation connectivity and allow an increase in genetic variability.
Whilst the species is protected within its range, enforcement is rarely performed. Poachers are still regularly seen across thir range and unless caught red-handed, law enforcement is rarely able to build a case against them. This is particularly important as it would help deter future poaching.
Photo courtesy Andrea Schieber.
Conservation Action
Establishing a new World Heritage Site
Global Conservation is working to save the Bornean Elephant from extinction through funding the establishment of a major new World Heritage Site in collaboration with the Sabah and Malaysian governments: DaMaI Rainforest Complex.
the 130,000-hectare (598,000 hectares including its buffer zone) DaMaI Rainforest Complex was approved by the state government in 2011 for nomination as Sabah’s second World Heritage Site. The nomination dossier has been completed and handed to the national focal agency for submission to UNESCO. Working with state and national governments, Global Conservation will move the World Heritage Site nomination process forward while improving planning for protection, conservation and sustainable tourism. We are proposing new buffer zones, a single management structure, and an increase in the total area under state-level protection to over 800,000 hectares.
Scientific Studies of the Bornean Elephant
Soon, Global Conservation will carry out a survey to determine the pygmy elephant population size in Maliau Basin Conservation Area, one of the major conservation areas in Sabah, Borneo. In Sabah, the overall population is around 1,000-1,500 elephants. The goal of the study is to establish baseling data for the Bornean elephants and the Bornean banteng, with the following objectives:
To determine the population and abundance of the species in the study area;
To identify the presence and distribution of other medium and large mammals (e.g. deers, wild boars, Sun bears, etc.) in the study area.
To establish suitable plots for artificial salt licks that can be developed in the future as attractions for nature-based tourism.
Image courtesy Bas Leenders.
Park and Wildlife Protection
Today, there is little organized protection for wildlife in the proposed DaMaI World Heritage Site. Armed gangs are aggressively hunting, both for international trade and sale to wildlife eateries on Borneo that are frequented by foreign tourists. Illegal hunting has rapidly increased over the past 10 years, depleting wildlife populations; without effective protection, we will lose more endangered species and critical habitats in one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Already, in 2015, rhinos were declared extinct in Malaysian Borneo.
Global Conservation aims to deploy Global Park Defense against wildlife poaching and illegal land clearing through an integrated system. Our technologies and training will include park-wide communications, cellular trailcams, aerial surveillance, SMART patrols, the Vulcan Domain Awareness System, ranger and community eco-guard training, and improved visitor security.
With almost no dedicated park or wildlife patrols today, DaMaI is highly vulnerable to illegal activities. Initially, Global Conservation funding, training and oversight will be critical to ensure patrol coverage of its core wildlife areas.
Our goal is to achieve ‘No Cut, No Kill’ protection in three core habitats within 5 years. To accomplish this, we are working with leading conservation organizations in Sabah, including the Sabah Environmental Trust (SET), Sabah Forestry, Sabah Foundation, and the Sabah Department of Wildlife.
Image courtesy Andrea Schieber.
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