Kota Kinabalu, Sabah | 20 May 2026 – WWF-Malaysia is deeply alarmed and saddened by the recent discovery of a mutilated Bornean elephant in the Sungai Pinangah Forest Reserve in Tongod, Sabah. Reports indicate the animal was found with its face cut, a sign that points to suspected ivory poaching, a highly disturbing act of wildlife crime.

WWF-Malaysia strongly condemns the killing of this elephant. The brutality of this incident reflects a growing and deeply concerning trend.

“This is not just the loss of an elephant. It is a stark warning that wildlife in Sabah is continuously under threat,” said Sophia Lim, Executive Director / CEO of WWF-Malaysia. 

“We cannot afford to treat this as an isolated incident. This is especially concerning as it took place in a forest reserve that should provide safety for wildlife. Stronger enforcement alone will not be enough. We need faster coordination across agencies, greater intelligence-sharing, and full public support to close the gaps that poachers are exploiting. 

Elephants are an irreplaceable part of Sabah’s natural heritage. As keystone species and ecosystem engineers, they play a vital role in seed dispersal, forest regeneration, and biodiversity maintenance. If we lose them, we lose the ecological balance and resilience of our forests and the future they support. This is a moment for all of us (government, communities, civil society, and the public) to act decisively.”

Not random, but organised

If investigations by the Sabah Wildlife Department confirm that the elephant was poached for its ivory, then this cannot be seen as a random act; it points to something far more deliberate. Wildlife crime syndicates are increasingly organised, driven by illegal wildlife trade networks that operate across landscapes and borders. Enforcement on the ground remains stretched across vast elephant ranges, often with limited manpower and resources.

“What we are seeing in Sabah is not opportunistic killing. It reflects a more organised and deliberate form of wildlife crime,” said Sharon Koh, Wildlife Protection Unit Lead of WWF-Malaysia.

“The evidence points to deliberate killing to remove the tusks – the modus operandi, together with the condition in which this elephant was found, are deeply concerning indicators of how these networks operate. 

Sabah’s forests are vast and complex, and while enforcement agencies are doing their best under challenging conditions, the scale of the landscape makes it simply not possible to monitor every area at all times. These gaps are exactly what organised poaching syndicates exploit.” 

While WWF-Malaysia acknowledges and supports the ongoing efforts of the Sabah Wildlife Department, the Royal Malaysia Police, and other enforcement partners, this incident highlights a critical gap: we are still not moving fast enough to match the scale and coordination of wildlife crime networks.

A shared responsibility beyond enforcement

Elephants roam across vast landscapes, far beyond what enforcement alone can effectively cover. This is why initiatives like FOREST SHIELD are so vital. By engaging plantations, smallholders, and communities living along forest boundaries, these efforts empower local stakeholders to serve as frontline environmental stewards, actively reporting suspicious activities. Their role is crucial, but their impact depends on broader public participation. The protection of elephants cannot rest on the shoulders of the government and rangers alone; it must be a shared responsibility. 
 
The protection of elephants cannot rely on rangers alone, it must be a shared responsibility. 
WWF-Malaysia calls on Sabahans and all Malaysians to: 
• Report any suspicious activities in their areas, especially those located near forest boundaries 
• Recognise the ecological importance of elephants, and the need to protect them from threats such as poaching 

Closing gaps in enforcement and coordination

WWF-Malaysia stresses that stronger coordination across agencies is urgently needed, from intelligence-sharing to joint operations, and critically, to ensuring effective follow-through in prosecution.

“Strengthening intelligence-led enforcement is critical,” Sharon Koh added. “This includes better coordination between agencies, improved information sharing, and sustained efforts to dismantle the networks driving the illegal ivory trade. At the same time, community vigilance remains essential. Local knowledge can make a crucial difference in detecting and preventing these crimes.” 

These efforts must extend beyond borders. Sabah’s proximity to international boundaries increases the risk of illegal wildlife products being trafficked across borders. In past cases, authorities in north Kalimantan have reported seizures of ivory believed to have originated from Sabah, highlighting the transboundary nature of this crime. In response, WWF-Malaysia is working closely with its counterparts in Kalimantan to share information and alert them to incidents in Sabah, enabling enforcement authorities and stakeholders to act early and reduce the risk of cross-border ivory trafficking.

If we do not act collectively and decisively, poachers will continue to exploit the gaps between our systems.

These incidents underscore that Bornean elephants are facing multiple, simultaneous threats across the landscape, from wildlife crime to pressures linked to human-elephant conflict, and highlight the urgent need for a more coordinated, landscape-level response.

A critical moment for Sabah’s elephants 

With only an estimated 1,000 Bornean elephants remaining in Sabah, every loss is significant. Recent incidents of mutilated elephants linked to suspected ivory poaching point to a worrying and potentially escalating pattern that cannot be ignored.

WWF-Malaysia calls for an urgent effort to protect Sabah’s Bornean elephants through coordinated and collective will of the government, communities, civil society, and the public. 

A Bornean elephant. Photo (c) Mazidi Abd Ghani / WWF-Malaysia

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Note to the Media:
1) All quotes are to be attributed to the designated persons quoted in this media release.
2) Should you need more information, please see the details below but please note that this person is for contact purposes only and is not the organisation's authorised spokesperson, so we would appreciate it if this name is not printed in the article.

Rozzana Basri (Director, Marketing and Communications)  
Email: rbasri@wwf.org.my
 
Justin Ang (Senior Manager, Communications)
Email: justinang@wwf.org.my

Marina Aman Sham
Senior Communications Manager, Sabah Landscapes Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Email: masham@wwf.org.my

About WWF-Malaysia
World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) was established in 1972 and is part of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the international conservation organisation. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major themes: forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Find our latest news here