Male elephant roaming near Terengganu village caught, now on a banana diet

A six-man team from Perhilitan caught the male wild elephant that had been spooking Kampung Kolam residents in Terengganu on September 10, 2026. — Picture from Facebook/Info Bencana Terengganu

First Published: Saturday, 12 Sep 2026 6:56 PM MYT

KUALA BERANG, Sept 12 — The Terengganu Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) captured a wild male elephant that was roaming in Kampung Kolam, Ajil, near here on Thursday.

Its director, Dennis Ten Choon Yung said the animal, which had a paw print size of 15 inches (0.381 metres), was captured by six Perhilitan members before being tethered at the same location around 5.30 pm.

He said the elephant would be fed banana trunks twice a day by the department staff before being relocated to a suitable location.

On Sept 10, the Hulu Terengganu Wildlife Department office received a report regarding a wild elephant roaming in Kampung Kolam. On the same day, department staff conducted a capture operation and successfully caught the elephant.

“The capture will reduce the residents’ concerns about the safety threat posed by the wild animal involved,” he said in a statement today.

In this regard, he said his team reminded the public not to approach the area to avoid noise that would stress the elephant. — Bernama

*Editor’s note: Perhilitan stands for Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara, the Malay name for the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.