A Malaysian school has called for better protection of its facilities after a Borneo Pygmy elephant walked into its canteen last week.
According to New Straits Times, the elephant walked into the school at 6am last Thursday in search of food, sending students and teachers into a panic. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, which was captured on video.
Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Telupid, located in Sabah, said it now wants a concrete wall built around its compound which is currently surrounded by barbed-wire fencing.
“The elephants did not seem to pose a danger before. But now, the students’ safety is at risk,” the school principal, Rukimin Sulit, told Channel News Asia.
According to the police report, it was not the first incident of its kind. A herd of elephants have been known to rampage in a small district in Telupid since last year despite being relocated to forest reserves three times before the latest incident.
Sabah Wildlife Department director, Augustine Tuuga, said staff from the department were called in to protect the school for 24 hours while the elephant was relocated.
The Department has placed a satellite collar on one of the captured elephants to monitor its movement, while the other three elephants are in the process of being sent to Imbak Forest Reserve, about 100 kilometers away from Telupid.
However, efforts to relocate other elephants in nearby areas have failed as they continue returning and damaging property, including the Telupid police station.