The Wildlife Rescue Unit from the Sabah Wildlife Department managed to capture it for treatment on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the department’s spokesman Siti Nur’ain Ampuan Acheh, the snare trap caused a two-inch deep wound on the leg which was also infested with maggots.
“Most areas of the wound are already showing signs of healing but prognosis is still guarded. General treatment has been given to the elephant and topical wound management will continue,” she said.
In a statement, she added that the department would continue to monitor the elephant’s condition as the injury needed more time to fully heal.
She also confirmed that the elephant would be transferred to the Borneo Elephant Sanctuary for further treatment and observation.
Meanwhile, the department’s veterinary officer concluded the post-mortem of a male elephant estimated to be between two and three years old which was found floating in the Kinabatangan river near the Pangi Forest Reserve on Aug 13.
Siti said although physical examination found no external injuries on the body, the preliminary findings of the post-mortem concluded that the elephant had suffered from ulcerative gastritis leading to severe loss of blood in its gastrointestinal tract.
“The cause of ulcerative gastritis can be of infectious or non-infectious origin. Samples of vital internal organs were taken for toxicology and bacteriology analysis.
“Confirmation on the cause of death can only be ascertained when results of the analysis of the samples are obtained,” she said.