23/05/2010 (Bernama), Kota Kinabalu - The Sabah Wildlife Department has initiated the setting up of a Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit which would be responsible for all wildlife rescue in the state.

Funding for the unit would be from a smart partnership among the department, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and a well-known resort in Sabah, said its director Laurentius Ambu.

"This kind of dedicated wildlife rescue unit is actually the first of its kind in Sabah or even Malaysia. The unit will be responsible for undertaking wildlife rescue and translocation operations throughout the state.

"It will also carry out on-site wildlife enforcement and monitoring and liaise with other stakeholders such as the World Wide Fund For Nature, Malaysia (WWF Malaysia) and the plantation sector on other relevant wildlife conservation activities to emphasise the importance of wildlife conservation and promote awareness among the people of the state through its activities," he said in a statement, here.

Meanwhile, the department's chief field veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan, who is involved with the unit, said a six-month-old cow baby elephant was rescued on Tuesday by the department staff in Lahad Datu after the management of a Felcra plantation reported having seen the animal roaming there.

The calf, believed to have been left behind by its mother, was handed over to the unit and is now in Sandakan.

"The baby elephant was rescued in the nick of time. If we were even delayed by a couple of hours, the elephant would not have survived.

"She is now recovering well and her appetite is good. How the baby elephant got separated from its mother is anyone's guess but, in normal circumstances, a mother elephant would never abandon a healthy baby elephant like this one," said Dr Sen.

"Our wildlife rangers patrolled the area to see if the mother could be located but could not find any elephant," he said.

Dr Sen praised the management of the plantation for quickly notifying the department for assistance, and making sure that the baby elephant was not disturbed by people in the estate.