Survey says: At 631, endangered elephant count surprises in Malaysia

A count of elephant dung revealed a surprisingly large endangered elephant population – more than 600 – in Malaysia’s biggest national park, researchers said Thursday.

The number of endangered Asian elephants had always been a mystery as researchers tried to visually count every one of the frequently shifting crowd in the dense jungle.

But the new method of counting dung piles came up with an estimate of 631 animals living in Taman Negara National Park, the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society and Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks said.

The survey showed Taman Negara to be “one of the great strongholds for Asian elephants in Southeast Asia,” said Melvin Gumal, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s conservation programs in Malaysia.

The protected rain forest jungle, known simply as the “Green Heart” by Malaysians, spans about 4,343 square kilometers (1,676 square miles) – roughly the size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake.

Asian elephants are endangered due to habitat loss and poaching; between 30,000 and 50,000 may remain in 13 Asian countries, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.