A day out for the royal family

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

http://thestar.com.my/metro/story...neast/21853036&sec=southneast

Saturday July 26, 2008
A day out for the royal family

TEMERLOH: The Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre, a popular tourist spot in Lanchang near here, played host to a special entourage recently.

The guests were none other than the Regent of Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, his wife Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Iskandar and their children Tengku Hasanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, 13, Tengku Muhamad Ri’ayatuddin Shah, 11, twins Tengku Puteri Afzan Aminah Hafidzatullah and Tengku Ahmad Ismail Muadzam Shah, both eight, and Tengku Puteri Jihan Khalsom Athiyatullah, six.
One for the album: Tengku Abdullah and Tunku Azizah (right) with Tengku Muhamad (on the ground) and Tengku Hasan, Tengku Afzan and Tengku Ahmad on the elephant’s back.

The royal family spent nearly two hours in the centre, playing with the elephants, riding the jumbos, feeding and watching the pachyderm bathe and at the same time mingle with tourists.

Tunku Azizah said they wanted to have a family outing and entertain some friends of her son Tengku Hasanal, who had come back from the United Kingdom for a visit.

Presently, Tengku Hasanal and his friends are on a semester break.

Tunku Azizah said they had earlier visited the National Park before deciding to visit the centre.

“The centre is attractive enough to bring in tourists, especially foreigners.

“However, there is still room for improvement to draw more visitors by upgrading some of the facilities,” she added.

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

On ocassion I have taken the kids to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum Bailey Circus when they have come to town.

Very lovely!!!

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

As for this place Kuala Gandah
it is actually an elephant sanctuary where
orphaned and disoriented elephants are rehabitated

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

Have seen them in circus and the zoo but never had the priviledge of getting close to one. Beautiful animals!

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Imagine that's you.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

or this

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

Have you ever been that close to one or riden an elephant before, Obmar? Are there many elephants in your country to roam freely on their own? Hunting them for there IVORY was or is considered illegal...is it still?

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

No, I haven't but there they do offer free rights.

In the forest yes...

And Elephant are protected Animals by Law.

Elephants: An all-out protection-cum-conservation effort
Malaysian Business, Dec 1, 2007 by Department

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FOUND in Asia and Africa, the elephant is the largest terrestrial mammal. It belongs to the Family Elephantidae in the Order Proboscidae. Asian elephants can grow as tall as 2.5 to 3 metres at the shoulder and weigh up to 5,000 kg. Only the males have tusks. However, there are tuskless males also known as makhna. They have 4 cm-thick skin that is tough yet very sensitive. Elephants take frequent dust baths for protection from diseases and parasites, and spray water and wallow in mud to keep themselves cool. The flapping of the ears also serves as a thermoregulatory function in hot weather. Found in lowland to hill dipterocarp forests, they feed on fruit and grasses, stems, twigs, bark, root and leaves of a variety of plants, including palms and bananas.

At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 100,000 Asian elephants may have existed. While an accurate estimate of the current size of total elephant numbers is unavailable, it is roughly estimated that there are between 30,000 and 50,000 Asian elephants remaining, as opposed to 10 times as many African elephants.

Asian elephants live in matriarchal herds, of breeding groups of three to 40 females and young. Females give birth to a single calf, sometimes twins, after a 21-month gestation period. A unique feature of the elephant social system is called allo-mothering behaviour, where females look after and protect calves that are not necessarily their own. Males leave the herd upon maturity, and join other males, or live alone. They only seek females to mate.

PROTECTED STATUS

Internationally, it is listed as an endangered species on the 2004 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List and on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). In Peninsular Malaysia, it is protected under the Protection of Wild Life Act No. 76, 1972, which makes it an offence for anyone to unlawfully shoot, kill, take or possess an elephant or part thereof.

If guilty, the penalty is a maximum fine of RM3,000, or three years imprisonment, or both. If it is a female elephant, the maximum fine is RM6,000, or three-and-a-half years imprisonment, or both. A juvenile elephant entails a maximum fine of RM3,500 or two years imprisonment, or both.

Anyone who injures, mistreats, starves or confines in an enclosure or cage that is not conducive to the elephant's comfort or health is liable to a maximum fine of RM5,000, or three years imprisonment, or both. Anyone who provokes or wounds an elephant that consequently becomes an immediate danger to human life, will be fined up to RM5,000 or three years imprisonment, or both.

An estimate puts the Peninsular Malaysia elephant population at 1,220 to 1,460. This is based on data collected by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), Peninsular Malaysia through its inventory and monitoring programmes from 2000 to 2002. The Taman Negara National Park holds the largest population in Peninsular Malaysia at 290 to 350 elephants. This is mainly because it is the largest protected area and it has been the main release area for translocated elephants since 1983.

CONSERVATION ACTIONS

As the government agency responsible for wildlife conservation in Peninsular Malaysia, Perhilitan conducts a variety of programmes that contribute to elephant conservation. It manages 40 Protected Areas (PA) peninsula-wide, totaling 7,514 sq km. Taman Negara National Park is the largest of all the PAs, encompassing 4,343 sq km, spanning Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu. In 2003, it was announced that Perak's 1,175 sq km Belum Forest Reserve would be gazetted as the Royal Belum State Park, promising good prospects for elephant conservation.

In 1974, PERHILITAN established a team to capture and translocate elephants in conflict situations to safer areas such as national parks and large forest reserves or state parks. More than 500 elephants from Pahang, Terengganu, Perak, Perlis, Kedah, Negeri Sembilan and Johor have been captured and translocated to the Royal Belum State Park, the Endau Rompin and the Taman Negara National Parks.

The Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre, the state Biodiversity Conservation Centres and Zoo Melaka conduct conservation education and awareness programmes. Elephant specific awareness programmes run daily at Kuala Gandah NECC.

The PERHILITAN Rhino Protection Unit conducts patrols to protect the Sumatran rhinoceros and its habitat. As the priority conservation sites are similar, the protection extends to the elephants and many other species.

A number of research projects on elephants have been conducted by PERHILITAN or external researchers in collaboration with PERHILITAN since the 1960s. The PERHILITAN researchers are currently monitoring the movement and habitat utilisation of elephants using the latest satellite tracking system. The scope of other studies includes elephant ecology, populations, distributions and human-elephant conflict management.

obmar · Site Admin Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 5697

Starting in 2005, PERHILITAN also conducts a new enforcement monitoring programme called Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE). Initiated by CITES, this programme uses a data collections and management system standardised throughout the Asian elephant range states. The information gathered will be a useful management tool for elephants in Malaysia.

MAIN THREAT

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats to elephants in Peninsular Malaysia. Prior to the 1980s, vast areas of lowland forests - prime elephant habitat - were converted into oil palm and rubber plantations. Much had to make way for the construction of dams and highways. From only 540 sq km in 1960, oil palm plantations covered more than 16,000 sq km in 1987.

Various government agricultural land schemes such as Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Rubber Industry Smallholding Development Authority (RISDA) and Federal Land Conversion and Rehabilitation Authority (FELCRA) develop land to eradicate poverty among the rural community. While the deforestation rate has stabilised since the late 1990s, forest clearing for small-scale plantation continues to create fragmented forests where the situation is worsened by logging activities within. For instance, the elephant population in Negeri Sembilan is currently survived by only three to five individuals. There are also no more elephants left in Selangor although elephants were once abundant in both of these states.

Shrinking of elephant habitats forces the animals out of the forests in search of food. This then creates the human-elephant conflicts. Elephants inhabiting the forest fringes tend to find neighbouring plantations - usually oil palm and banana - easy pickings. These crop-raiding elephants cause large financial losses to plantation owners. In the past, PERHILITAN rangers would shoot the problem elephants but currently the elephants are translocated elsewhere.

But landowners often resort to killing the elephants. They have also adopted several preventive measures, such as constructing trenches and watch towers, patrolling with tractors, installing bright lights, or driving elephants off using shotguns, bamboo canons and burning tires and logs. These, however, aren't always successful or necessarily legal. Electric fences are often more effective, but are expensive to maintain.

Worldwide, the elephant is poached for its tusks, called ivory. Elephants are also illegally captured for zoos and private collections. Although less serious than habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching is still a threat to the elephants in Peninsular Malaysia.

Copyright 2007 http://findarticles.com/p/article...i_n24373013/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1

Radiate_Truth · Joined: 18 Aug 2007 Posts: 1056

Sincere thanks, Obmar!!!

There very beautiful, wonderful animals...
I hate to see anything like this destroyed to line the pockets of the greedy.