The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included Bornean elephants on its Red List of critically endangered species. This has been reported Web site The British Natural History Museum (NHM), whose experts participated in the research.
Borneo elephants are considered the smallest among their relatives. They reach a height of no more than 2.5 meters. This subspecies was first discovered in 1950, but it was only relatively recently that Bornean elephants were recognized as a separate species.
While the identity of elephants is debated in academic circles, the animal’s population on the Indonesian island of Borneo has declined sharply due to forest clearing for palm trees, scientists say. Today, there are no more than 1,000 Borneo elephants left in the wild.
The researchers are calling for the forests where elephants live to be protected and connected to other parts of the forest. This could include rerouting roads or opening up wildlife corridors through palm trees.
Experts noted that defining the Bornean elephant as a separate subspecies would contribute to efforts to preserve it as a unique species with a 300 thousand-year evolutionary history.
Previous scientists I learnedelephants calling each other by their names.