Nita had to be euthanised because of complications caused by injuries she suffered before her rescue from the estate in the Tawau east coast district.
It is believed that Nita, only a month old then, was left behind by its herd during an elephant control exercise conducted by authorities as she could not keep up with the rest.
“The calf had sustained injuries and wounds that needed to be treated and was brought to the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary in Kinabatangan,” said Sabah wildlife director Augustine Tuuga here today.
Tuuga said Nita had to be put down on Wednesday after her condition worsened despite efforts by wildlife veterinarians to save her.
“She was given intensive care but her condition did not improve. The fractures she suffered were beyond repair. The vets had to make the hardest decision to end her misery,” he said.
State wildlife assistant director Sen Nathan, who attended to Nita’s injuries, was devastated.
“These are the things that give us wildlife veterinarians sleepless nights. Knowing that as much as we tried our best, sometimes we will just lose some battles,” he said.
Tuuga said a fibreglass cast was put around the limb in hope of repairing the fracture. A team of orthopaedic specialists from Hospital Duchess of Kent in Sandakan was also consulted, but her condition did not improve.
Elephant deaths have been a common fixture in Sabah for years and have garnered much attention, including from international media.
Many of the deaths are the result of human-elephant conflict, which ends in elephants being killed through poisoning, snare traps and brutal shootings, such as a case in 2019 when an elephant was found with over 70 bullet holes.
Former Sabah deputy chief minister Christina Liew, who was also the state environment minister, had previously said there were 150 elephant deaths from 2010 to 2019. In this period, only four human deaths caused by elephants were recorded.
The pygmy elephants are an endangered species with only an estimated 1,500 individuals still to be found in the wild, largely in Sabah.
This led to the previous Sabah government coming up with the 10-year Bornean Elephant Action Plan (2020-2029), aimed at enhancing the protection and conservation of elephants in the state.