Its director, Salman Saaban, said the elephants were captured after the department received complaints from the public regarding a herd of elephants found roaming in the forest area near the military camp staff quarters.

He said that a female elephant was captured first at 3.15pm while a male elephant was captured at 3.45pm. Both were healthy and active.

“We received a complaint yesterday morning that there were five to 12 elephants in the forest area, and it was feared that they would wander to Flintstone Palace which is located only 1.5km from the area.

“According to the complainant, the elephants have been sighted in the area for the past week, and attempts by the department to control and push the herd away from the area had been futile,” he said in a statement today.

Salman said the two wild elephants caught were part of the herd, which had caused conflicts around Pekan Jemaluang, Felda Tenggaroh, Kampung Wak Salam and Kampung Sri Pantai.

“We will monitor the elephants until they are safely moved to new habitats. This morning, we could not find the remaining elephants and suspect they have moved into the nearby Jemaluang Forest Reserve,” he said.

Meanwhile, a resident of the camp, who only wished to be known as Mat, in his 20s, thanked Johor Perhilitan for acting swiftly to catch the animals.

“We are worried that if the elephants enter the residential areas (quarters), it could threaten the safety of family members as well as damage property, including vehicles.

“Perhilitan’s continuous action and monitoring has to some extent alleviated the residents’ concerns,” he said.