"Borneo Pigmy Elephants" Sukau Travelogue by GrumpyDiver

Heading out from Sandakan in Sabah, Borneo up the Kinabatangan River to the Sukau Eco Lodge, we asked our guide about the Borneo Pigmy Elephants.

We were told that sightings of these rare and endangered creatures occured perhaps two or three times a year as they passed through the area feeding. Chances of our spotting them would be virtually nil.

Two hours later, when we were almost at Sukau, we saw something along the river's edge...

The Borneo Pigmy Elephant

A television program featured these rare animials a few short weeks before our trip.

Being about 30 cm shorter than the asian elephant gives them their name. They are still quite tall. Tusks are straighter than their asian cousins and their temperment is also much better.

The Herd

There was a who herd up elephants up on shore. Ranging from an old male right down to young calfs, and as can be seen in this image, some in between.

We estimated that there were likely 25 - 35 animals in the herd.

A youngster

There were a number of young calfs in theis herd. They seemed to be playing and practicing trumpeting.

Nursing calf

Not only did we see these rare animals, we also saw a mother nursing her calf.

Short and tall

Interesting shot showing two generations of elephant

How close were we?

We were on a boat on the river bank, The elephants got as close as 5 to 10 metres (15 - 30 feet) from us. That's me shooting video, so you can see how close we were!

Elephants in the river

Just as we pulled away, we ran into a smaller group from the main herd. These young males were in the river when we arrived, but got back on land when they spotted our boat.