In an extraordinary discovery, a rare dwarf elephant with tusks resembling those of a saber-toothed tiger has been found in Malaysia.
The wildlife team made this remarkable find on a palm oil plantation in Sabah, located on the island of Borneo.
“It’s a rare find,” stated Sen Nathan, the assistant director of the Sabah Wildlife Department. He mentioned that similar elephants were spotted on camera in previous years, including a notable sighting in 2015.
Plans are in place to move this unique elephant to an elephant sanctuary in Sabah, where it will remain until a suitable wild habitat can be found. The elephant will be fitted with a tracking device to monitor its movements.
“The tusks look like those of prehistoric saber-tooth tigers, but they are not related,” explained Andrew Sebastian, co-founder of the Malaysian Ecotourism Association. “This could definitely make wildlife viewing in Sabah more intriguing.”
However, Sebastian noted potential issues with the tusks growing in reverse, which could pose challenges during interactions with other elephants.
A study conducted a decade ago estimated there were about 2,000 elephants in Sabah. Wildlife officials are preparing for a new study to update these numbers.
Nathan emphasized that the primary threat to elephants in Sabah is habitat loss due to human development, not poaching.
