~Trip to Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary~

TRIP TO KUALA GANDAH ELEPHANT SANCTUARY FOR ECOLOGY SUBJECT

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary History

This elephant sanctuary located in Pahang is a good place to go for a time of relaxation with your friends or family members. Plan to spend about 2 to 3 hours here. Run by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP or Perhilitan) of Malaysia, this place is indeed a sanctuary for the wild elephants that have been relocated here.

These wild elephants were captured when they encroached (or rather the human beings encroached into their habitats) into the oil palm plantations and villages.

The Conservation Effort

The Elephant Translocation Team which was established in 1974 will begin to track the wild elephants once they got the news of the sight of the elephants.

The Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre was established in 1989. Using the trained elephants from Thailand and Myammar, the team will set to capture the elephants using tranquilizers and transport them to the centre using trucks.

These wild elephants are then re-located to other protected natural habitats such as Taman Negara (National Park) which is located in Pahang. The other natural habitat is Sungai Ketiar, Terengganu. As of today, more than 500 elephants have relocated.

This centre has 17 elephants currently of which four are males. The oldest are two 70-years-olds named Mek Bunga and Lokimala and the youngest one is one-year-old Langsat which was rescued from the forest in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

Activities
There are a few activities that we  did while we were at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. No fees would be charged for all of these activities.



1)MUSEUM
We were read more about the elephants at the museum. This museum at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in the vicinity of the office is small but good enough for us to learn more about this endangered animal. The skull of the elephant was also on display here.

2)VIDEO SHOW
we were sat down in the comfort of the air conditioned room and watcedh the video on issues that affect the wild elephants, their diminishing habitat and the role the Translocation Team play in ensuring the survival of these endangered species.


3)FEEDING THE ELEPHANTS
All visitors including us would have the opportunity to participate in this program. There are about 6 elephants that can be fed with fruits such as watermelon and papaya. All you need to do is feed the elephant with your hand holding the fruits.
You can feed it by putting the fruits directly to the mouth of the elephant or by letting the elephant uses its trunk to take the fruits. Fruits will be provided at the centre.


4)RIDING THE ELEPHANTS
This is another interesting activity to do while we were here. Once we reached the centre, we collected a sticker that entitles us to ride the elephants.



5)BATHING THE ELEPHANTS
After the ride, we took some time to cool ourself by bathing the elephants at the river nearby.