PREVIEW

An elephant calf named Agathis is recovering after she was found wandering alone on the east coast of Borneo.
Agathis was in dire need of urgent medical attention, suffering from a serious infection, dehydration, and weakness, having been separated from her herd for approximately two weeks.
However, she is now under the dedicated care of rangers sponsored by the Oregon Zoo.
Veterinarian Dr. Sharon Glaeser revealed that the young elephant has now formed a bond with her human caregivers.
“Agathis is cared for by staff at the Sabah Wildlife Department. There are two rangers there sponsored by the Oregon Zoo, Mr. Raziman and Mr. Rosa, and they’re with Agathis all day, every day,” she explained.
“Baby elephants need full-time care. Agathis couldn’t eat on her own — she needed to be bottle-fed every two hours, day and night. The rangers became her surrogate moms, doing everything a mother would to care for her calf. The trust she places in them is so beautiful to see. She goes outside to play with them every day.”
As she matures, the goal is for Agathis to join other elephants, accessing nearby forests, water for swimming, and crucial socialisation. However, she will never return to the wild as calves reared by humans cannot be safely sent back into the wild.
Instead she will remain with her adopted family at the care center, the ultimate goal is to promote the conservation of wild elephant populations.
Elephants in Borneo are some of the most endangered elephants in the world as people and animals are competing for land and food. Its forests, once home to the elephants, are no longer intact,meaning elephants don’t have safe ways to travel.
However, espite the immense challenges faced by elephants in Borneo, Dr. Glaeser expressed hope for the future.
“I think there is reason to feel hopeful about elephants in Borneo,” she added. “The challenges are immense, both in the wild and in human care, but there is reason for hope because there are people doing really, really good work and dedicating their lives to maintaining and even further growing suitable habitat for elephants.
“And then when they are in human care, the people caring for them are very dedicated and committed to those individuals and groups of animals. And they are also committed to doing what they can to teach people the importance of trying to coexist and keep them in the wild.”