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Sabah, Malaysia, Borneo: Elephant Conservation Unit (ECU)

Conservation at a Glance

• Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is home to a rich diversity of plants, animals, and indigenous populations. In the last year alone, 52 new species of animals and plants were discovered in Borneo.
• Borneo’s forests have been disappearing at an alarming rate due to logging and conversion to oil palm plantations. In the last 20 years, 80% of the Lower Kinabatangan River Region has been converted to oil palm plantations.  Palm oil is used primarily as biofuel.
• The Zoo has pioneered a program to fund reforestation in Borneo through contributions to our carbon offset program, Footprints.
• Borneo’s pygmy elephants, a subspecies of Asian elephant, are currently threatened by human-elephant conflict, which increases as the forest is destroyed. Pygmy elephants sometimes eat crops or turn up gravestones while dust bathing, creating friction with their human neighbors.
• The Philadelphia Zoo is the primary financial supporter of the Elephant Conservation Unit (ECU) that focuses on protection of the pygmy elephants through field research, supporting community involvement, teaching “elephant friendly” crop protection, supporting ecotourism, and actively defending protected areas from illegal practices. These activities also protect a myriad of other species, including orangutans.