Elephants in Malaysia killed by poisoning: Environment Min

The 14 elephants which were found dead at a forest reserve in Malaysia's Sabah state in December last year were killed by severe poisoning, a minister said today.
Chemical analysis by Australian experts showed that the elephants' remains contained high levels of heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, iron and chromium, the Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Masidi Manjun said adding that the authorities are still trying to track down the culprits.
"These metals are usually found around mining, smelting or waste disposal operations. However, this does not make sense as there is no such activity in the area," Masidi said.

He said that the Wildlife Department officials sent out specimens of the dead elephants to various research institutions in the peninsula, Thailand and Australia to obtain feedback on how the animals had been killed.
Masidi said the Government had been transparent in handling the matter and was working with various wildlife NGOs for long-term conservation efforts of the elephants.