Endangered pygmy elephant shot dead

Kuala Lumpur : A pygmy elephant was shot dead on Borneo island after it destroyed villagers’ crops, a Malaysian wildlife official said Thursday, the latest of the endangered creatures to be killed.

The male elephant, believed to be about four years old, was found Monday by the side of a road in the state of Sabah, on the Malaysian part of Borneo, local wildlife department director Augustine Tuuga told AFP.

He said the “merciless” killing was carried out near a remote settlement, and authorities were investigating who was responsible. Malaysia is home to vast tracts of rainforest and a kaleidoscope of exotic wildlife, from elephants to orangutans and tigers.