trip to elephant sanctuary pahang

Elephant Sanctuary Tours Malaysia Kuala Gandah, Pahang
Link : http://www.impressions.com.my/RelatedServ/Klshortmain/ele_sanc/ele_sanc.htm

Duration Approx. 8 hours
Departure 09.00 am from Kuala Lumpur
Package Rate : RM 200.00 per person
Chils Rate 4 - 11 yrs RM 140.00 per person

Notes :
1. The above rates is subject to 10% service charge..


Package Includes
* Pick and drop off at major hotels in Kuala Lumpur
* 01 Simple Lunch
* Conservation Fee

Recommended Gear:
Sport shoes, t-shirt, long pants, sunglasses and hat.
Extra clothings to change and towels

Contact in Malaysia : 24hrs hotline 6019 337 1015 email : nicktan@impressions.com.my

Itinerary: 09.00am Departure for Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
11.30am Visit Deer Farm Sanctuary except of Fridays replaced with Batu Caves (Deer Farm is closed)
12.30pm Arrival at Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary. Light lunch
01.00pm Briefing & a 30-minute National Geographic documentary at the Visitors Information Centre
01.45pm Feeding, grooming, bathing and riding of the elephants
04.00pm Departure for Kuala Lumpur

Elephant Sanctuary Malaysia
Welcome to Kuala Gandah The national Department of Wildlife and National Parks established the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary in 1989. The center is a base for the elephant relocation team, which began the translocation program in 1974. Being the only one of its kind in Malaysia, the team's duty is to track down, sedating and relocating problem elephants from areas whose natural habitats are constantly encroached by human developments, namely plantations. The captured wild elephants are then relocated to National Parks. Over the past 25 years the 24 strong team has helped the prevent the further decline of the elephant population by relocating more than 500 wild elephants.

Deer Sanctuary
This deer sanctuary is situated in Bukit Rengit, Lanchang, about 140km from Kuantan. Traverse the park's 'Nature Garden' on an elevated boardwalk and marvel at its varieties of herbs and plants. The highlight of a visit here will be the interesting and fascinating deer-feeding session.


The park's 'Animal World' offers attractions such as ostriches, peacocks, deer and a sunbear. Visitors can also go camping or join a guided tour to learn basic jungle survival skills.

View the original article here

Wild Malayan Elephants

The struggle between the wild malayan elephants and the human race is reaching the critical stage.So far, in all of the encounters, the human has won.

As the population increases and the people are getting greedy, they need more to satisfy their desires, and more jungles are being cut down. The smaller patches of jungles are not in position to sustain the wild malayan elephants.

wild malayan elephant caught in Jelebu and to be relocated to Taman Negara
by Perhilitan’s elephant management unit. — LOW BOON TAT / The Star

The expertise of the Gandah elephant sanctuary is again being sought to capture the wild elephant in Jelebu, about 100 km from Kuala Lumpur. It seem that this lonely male had been separated from its herd, likely due to the destruction of the rain forest. As the food is getting scarce, he had no choice but to feed on the villagers crop.

The operation involved three tame elephants from Gandah elephant sanctuary. The three heroic elephants were Che Mek, Kala and Timor. They are professional wild malayan elephants catchers.

elephant ride

Most of us have not experience an elephant ride. You are welcome to the elephant sanctuary at kuala gandah, where the asian elephants are waiting for the visitors.

The Asian Elephant is the smaller species and fighting or its survival. With the fast development of the countries, the existence of the elephants is being threatened. About the Elephants There is about 30,000 still alive in the shrinking forest in the South of Asia and South East Asia. The situation in some countries is worst.

In Malaysia the situation is no better, in fact it is worst. The forest is being stripped off at ever fastest rate. Do not be amused with the statistics. The problem is the statistics does not give the true picture. Take for example, if you build a highway that cut across a jungle, it is not the area of the jungle turned into road is the issues. Statistically only a fraction of the land is taken... but the truth is it effect the grazing ground. Elephants require large undivided forest to survive and have a highway way divide the jungle into 2 pieces that cannot support a herd.

The ministry estimate that there are about 1,300 elephants in peninsular and about 1400 in Borneo. Borneo is the home to pygmy elephant and the Peninsular is for the Asian elephants. The claim is difficult to verify scientifically.

The Malaysia authority had rightfully responded by set up the Elephant Management Unit in 1974 under the authority of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. This unit had in fact established the well known Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre. The unit has built up the expertise to reallocate elephant to avoid confrontation with the local peoples. Some of the elephants remain at the center for a long time and used for elephant ride for the tourists.

The elephants had been completely move out of 3 states, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Perlis. If you include the two smaller states of Melaka and Penang, five of the nine states are stripped off from having any of the wild elephants. The states with elephants are Pahang, Kelantan, Trengganu and Perak. All these three are connected or neighbor of Pahang.

The situation in Borneo seem to be better. It has a bigger areas of forest compared to West Malaysia. So there is still hope that these gentle animals will be around and share this small world with our future generations.

Efforts are being made The Department of Wildlife and National Parks to work very closely with the international WWF to plan for the survival of Borneo’s elephants.

The picture on the right at the bare back elephant ride.

Kuala Gandah

Kuala Gandah was an unknown traditional Malay Village in the outback of Pahang, Malaysia. The Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks opened an elephant sanctuary in 1989 to be the homes of displaced elephants resulted by the rapid development of the country.

As the number of Malaysian population increased, and the economic activities expanded, the natural jungle, that was the home for these elephants were exploited. What once large stretch of virgin jungle, is now transformed to smaller broken plot of jungle that cannot support the live of the herds.

Elephants are social animals living in herds and headed by a powerful male. As there is not enough food for the herd, the animal will venture into the farm land and these elephants regularly crossed paths with humans. This had resulted into large numbers being shot, poisoned or trapped. The estimate in 1972, there were only about 500 wild elephants rooming the jungle of Malaysia. In nothing was done, the animal will become an extinct specifies.

In 1972, the Protection of Wildlife Act was passed, preventing the killing, hunting, confinement or trade of elephants and other endangered species, and in 1974, the Malaysian Government established the Elephant Capture & Translocation Unit. The team’s duty is to track down, sedate and relocate problem elephants from areas where their natural habitat is being constantly encroached on by humans and transfer them to more remote jungle reserves and National Parks.


In 1989 the unit was given some land within the Krau Game reserve, at Kuala Gandah, from which to operate a base. Today there are 32 full time and 6 contracted staff living and working at the center, as well as 14 elephants, some of which are being trained to replace the older elephants that help in the translocation process of the wild elephants.

As well as being a base for the translocation team, Kuala Gandah also aims to promote public awareness of the plight of the Asian elephant, and to support research into elephant translocation and conservation. The center also looks after orphaned and injured elephants to help ensure their continued survival.

The sanctuary is opened everyday from 2 to 5 pm and tour can be arranged from Kuala Lumpur. The trip to Kuala Gandah will take about 2 hours.

Gandah Elephant Sanctuary

Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is one of the kind in Malaysia. It was originally intended to be the transit area for the elephants when they have to be reallocated.

As the development progressed, the natural habitat for the animals had reduced, thus causing a natural conflicts between the animals and human. The animals such as elephants will have to search for food in an area with human settlements. We can see reports that some of the crops were destroyed by these elephants. To answer to this problem, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks established a conservation center in Pahang. Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Center was opened in 1989. The center had been the base for the Elephant Relocation Team, which began the elephant trans location program in 1974.The centre also takes in orphaned and abandoned elephants and due to this the center is also know as The Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary.

The Gandah Elephant Sanctuary has a bigger agenda. Beside being a base for the elephants relocation team and become a home for a number of resident elephants, Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary also actively promoting public awareness about the plight of Malaysia's elephants. It is intended to gain support from the public on the research project and re allocation program.

The center is going on a big way to bring about public awareness on the importance of such project. It is embarking to educate the public about the importance of habitat and environmental preservation. Visitors are invited to view a video on elephant translocation and special programme can be arranged for school groups.

Tourist Destination

The sanctuary is open to public between 2pm to4.40pm every day. There is no entrance fee, however visitors usually make generous donation for the benefits of the elephants in the sanctuary. You will find an information center at the entrance to the sanctuary, where pamphlets and other information boards provided for the benefits of the visitors.

Acivities: Visitors can participate in daily activities. You can help to prepare the lunch. one basket each, complete with desserts. The baby elephants can be very playful and they are used to having human around.

You can take a ride on the back, and follow them into the stream. Elephant, being an elephant, will just roll himself into the water with you on the back

There is also an Orang Asli settlement next door that you can visit and the Deerland Park just five minutes drive away.

Getting there
The Gandah elephant sanctuary is about 2 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. Follow the East-West highway and exist the highway towards Karak. This is the old Kuala Lumpur Temerloh road. Follow the road towards Lanchang, and before the town of Lanchang take the left turn into the road just before the BP gas station. The follow the road sign to the Elephant Sanctuary. You will pass by an Orang Asli settlement before you reach the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary.

The map taken from google is given below:

elephant sanctuary

| introduction |about elephants sanctuary | visitors elephants ride | wild Malayan elephants|

Introduction:
Kuala Gandah Elephant sanctuary was set up in 1974 by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. It was used as a transit point for the program to reallocate the elephants.

A very good efforts by the wild life department. My only wish is it can be set up in a bigger area, after all Pahang still has a large reserve of jungle.

History

Attractions
Video:






Activities

Map

View Larger Map