Its minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said 16 victims of elephant attacks were reported, involving 10 fatalities and six injuries, during that period.

“For this year up to June, an estimated loss of RM315,340 was recorded, with two injury cases and three reported fatalities,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.

Nik Nazmi said human-elephant conflicts occured due to activities such as the clearing of land for agriculture, which resulted in the loss of elephant habitats.

“The elephants’ need for ample food and extensive roaming areas has also increased the risk of human-elephant conflicts,” he said.

Recognising the importance of addressing this issue, Nik Nazmi said the wildlife and national parks department had established a technical committee for the management of human-wildlife conflicts in Peninsular Malaysia.

The committee includes representatives from the forestry department, the director-general of lands and mines department, the state economic planning units, and the state Orang Asli development departments.

He said the committee’s main function would be to investigate conflict issues and formulate conflict management implementation plans throughout Peninsular Malaysia.

Last year, Senator Ajis Sitin urged the government to take the safety of Orang Asli communities seriously, and to allocate funds to enforce measures to protect their settlements from wild animals.

In the recent budget announcement, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said RM10 million was allocated to help alleviate losses incurred in wildlife conflicts.