Elephant that ravaged Desaru fruit farm has been relocated
A male elephant was captured by the Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department after it ravaged a fruit farm. PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Elephant that ravaged Desaru fruit farm has been relocated
KOTA TINGGI - An elephant that has been ravaging a fruit farm for the past week in Malaysia has been successfully relocated, said Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon.
He said the male elephant was captured by the Johor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) on June 19.
'We received a report about an elephant entering and damaging coconut and fruit plantations at Desaru Fruit Farm a week earlier,' he said on Facebook, adding that an operation was later launched on June 16 to capture the elephant.
'The elephant was later found on June 19 within Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's land in Sungai Cemaran, Desaru.'
He added that the operation, dubbed Ops Gajah, was conducted around Tanjung Sedili and nearby areas.
'The operation was carried out by Johor Perhilitan's Elephant Capture Unit, which confirmed the animal's identity and successfully relocated it to prevent further human-wildlife conflict,' he added.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Johor Perhilitan director Aminuddin Jamin said that the elephant was believed to be from the ID Panti herd.
'The elephant may have lost its way and we have relocated it to its natural habitat,' he said.
'The elephant is part of the ID Panti group, which is one of the five identified herds in Johor.' THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
14 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US sanctions target those providing Iran with defense machinery, Houthi oil trading
FILE PHOTO: A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/ File Photo WASHINGTON - The Trump administration said on Friday it had issued fresh Iran-related sanctions targeting eight entities, one vessel and one person for their alleged role in providing sensitive machinery for Tehran's defense industry. "The United States remains resolved to disrupt any effort by Iran to procure the sensitive, dual-use technology, components, and machinery that underpin the regime's ballistic missile, unmanned aerial vehicle, and asymmetric weapons programs," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. "Treasury will continue to degrade Iran's ability to produce and proliferate these deadly weapons, which threaten regional stability and global security," he added in a statement announcing the action. Two of the entities include shipping companies based in Hong Kong: Unico Shipping Co Ltd and Athena Shipping Co Ltd, the statement said. The Treasury Department on Friday also issued counterterrorism-related sanctions targeting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis over alleged illicit oil trading and shipping, it said in a separate statement. Those sanctions target four individuals, 12 entities, and two vessels over imported oil and other illicit goods to support the Houthis, the department said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Azerbaijan hands down long prison terms to seven journalists amid media crackdown
BAKU - A court in Azerbaijan sentenced seven journalists to jail terms ranging from 7-1/2 to nine years on Friday after finding them guilty of smuggling, in what international press freedom advocates have described as a politically motivated case. Six of the defendants are affiliated with Abzas Media, an independent outlet focused on corruption and human rights in the South Caucasus country, which ranks 167th of 180 countries in Reporters without Borders' World Press Freedom Index. Abzas Media's editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi, director Ulvi Hasanli, translator Mahammad Kekalov, staff journalists Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, and freelance journalist Hafiz Babali all denied the charges. Their lawyers said they would appeal. The seventh defendant, Farid Mehralizada - who received a nine-year sentence and also maintained his innocence - is a reporter with the Azeri language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), an outlet funded by the U.S. government. In a statement, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus condemned the trial as a "sham" and said Mehralizada should be released home to his family. President Ilham Aliyev, in power since 2003, has rejected criticism over the arrests of journalists and said Azerbaijan has "a free press and a free internet." The first arrests in the case were made in November 2023 after authorities said they had found 40,000 euros ($41,000) in cash in Abzas Media's Baku offices. Several other media workers have been arrested on similar charges of smuggling in recent years in Azerbaijan, an oil-rich country of 10 million case against the seven journalists drew condemnation from global press freedom groups and the administration of former U.S. President Joe Biden, with his secretary of state, Antony Blinken, calling for their release last year. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Tunisian court hands 15‑year sentence to opposition figure Sahbi Atig
FILE PHOTO: A Tunisian flag flutters outside the building of Ennahda party in Tunis, Tunisia April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jihed Abidellaoui/File Photo TUNIS - A Tunisian court has sentenced Sahbi Atig, a senior official in Ennahda, the country's main opposition party, to 15 years in prison on charges of money laundering, his lawyer said on Friday, the latest move against opposition figures under President Kais Saied. Atig was detained in 2023, one of many opponents of Saied who have been imprisoned since the president began expanding his powers in 2021, dissolving parliament and ruling by decree in what critics have denounced as a coup. Saied has said that all his steps are legal and aimed at ending years of rampant corruption and holding accountable what he calls a corrupt elite. Atig denied the charges against him, saying they were fabricated. "The verdict aims to eliminate political opponents and lacks any credible evidence,' Atig's lawyer, Mokthar Jmaayi, told Reuters. "It is a continuation of the punishment of opponents by using the judiciary and distracting people from their real problems,' he added. The 15-year sentence was shorter than some sentences handed down recently. In April, a court sentenced a string of opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers to prison terms of up to 66 years, on charges of conspiring. Saied has dissolved the Supreme Judicial Council and dismissed dozens of judges in 2022, raising concerns about judicial independence. The president has said he does not interfere in the judiciary and that his actions aim to purge the judiciary of corrupt judges. Most of the leaders of political parties in Tunisia are in prison, including Abir Moussi, leader of the Free Constitutional Party, and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of Ennahda - two of Saied's most prominent opponents. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
