In 1894, a dead elephant was run over by a train in Sungai Kerawai, Teluk Intan. It was the first recorded incident of human-animal conflict (HEC) in history and the sign of this tragedy can still be seen. Although more than 130 years have passed, incidents of wildlife deaths caused by human vehicles still occur. This year, the country was shocked when a baby elephant died after being crushed under a lorry with its mother crying in grief with pictures shared all over social media.
In silence, researchers from the Smart Infrastructure Modelling and Monitoring Centre (SIMM) under the Institute of Smart and Sustainable Living (ISSL) of Universiti Teknologi Petronas in collaboration with the Department of Forestry developed the ELEFence fence to prevent this tragic incident from happening again.
Studies have found that elephants are smart animals. They can use tree trunks to knock down ordinary fences that are installed to prevent their movement and encroachment into human settlements. Other solutions such as electric fences in Kenya and Indonesia are also injuring elephants and can cause avoidable deaths.
In a pilot project at the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre in 2021, the 35-metre long ELEFence installed passed all tests carried out. Due to the durable design of the ELEFence, even if a tree trunk is dropped on it by an elephant, it does not collapse and more importantly, this fence can also prevent the movement of elephant calves.
With the success of the real-world tests, the 7km long ELEFence will be installed on several sections of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) Project near the Kemasul forest reserve, Pahang. It is currently in the design phase to be installed at elephant conservation centres located in Johor and Perak.