24/05/2010 (The Star Online), Kota kinabalu - The Sabah Wildlife Department will be setting up a wildlife rescue unit.

Funding for the unit will be from the smart partnership formed by the department, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and a well-known resort in Sabah.

Department director Laurentius Ambu said the unit would not only be the first of its kind in Sabah but also in the country.

“The unit will be responsible for wildlife rescue and translocation operations throughout the state.

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

Meanwhile, the department’s chief field veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan, who is involved with the unit, said a six-month-old elephant was rescued by department staff in Lahad Datu after the animal was spotted roaming in a Felcra plantation.

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

“The baby elephant was rescued in the nick of time.

“If we had been 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 were unable to find the mother,” he said. — Bernama