Registering the elephant with a chip	Testing the chip reader
Radio Collaring for satellite tracking purposes	Ensuring that the contraption must be securely fixed to the elephant
Almost there!	The sophisticated & expensive  radio collar

Once the elephant is secured onto the truck, a micro chip will be embedded under the skin of the animal for tagging
and identification purposes. A few elephants were also tested with the a radio collar tracking unit by the
Smithsonian Institute for the purpose of understanding and recognising the actual home range of translocated
wild elephants. The radio collar tracking project began in 1997 with units fixed onto 2 wild elephants named Abang Ramadan and Penawar - please refer to the Radio Collar Tracking website for more details. All the radio collar
units were of US made and funded by the Smithsonian Institute but the DWNP is currently trying to use a locally
made unit to reduce the costs of setting it up.

Moments B4 the truck is closed up

Where am I going to?

The journey to the unloading bay at Gawi jety in Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu, is a long and tiring journey and it is
always done in the late evening to reduce the stress on the captured wild elephant and the men involved.
Banana leaves and stems are placed inside the truck for the elephant.

It is usual for the elephant to become restless and knock its head against the metalled sides of the truck.
The convoy is always escorted with at least 2 ECTU vehicles. The 2 tame working elephants have completed their
duty and will then be sent back to Kuala Gandah for a well deserved rest!

The unloading process is itself time consuming and dangerous, too, and the elephant has to be tranquilised again
with a reduced dose of Rompun or Xylazine so that the team can unshackle the chains and pull the elephant slowly
and carefully onto the waiting barge. Once it is secured, the animal has to be continuosly cooled  by hosing it down
with water pumped in from the Tasik Kenyir. The barge is pulled out by a diesel engined tugboat from Gawi jetty
to Sungai Cacing in Taman Negara and the journey, barring any storms, is a 7 hours' one way journey and 6 hours' return journey. The team, as usual, will either sleep, read or play games to kill time!

Truck arriving at Gawi jetty  in Tasik Kenyir	The elephant is lightly sedated B4 transfered to the barge
2 darts are used due to the  size of the elephant	One, two..pull! National Geo. TV Channel crew documenting the activity.
Buying time B4 the barge reaches Taman Negara	Cooling the elephant is very important!
Where are you taking me?	The barge can also take in 2 elephants
Welcome to Taman Negara!	Unloading elephants are as  difficult as loading them in
A short pause B4 pulling the 2.5 ton animal  out of the barge.	Men against beast!
And the men are slowly but surely winning the battle!	Revivon is applied to " wake "  the  animal from its dreams!
You guys leaving us?	Will you write to me?

Upon arriving at the designated place for unloading, the elephant will again be administered a dose of Rompun or Xylazine. This is to enable the team to unshackle it and begin the energy sapping process of manually pulling it out
onto the river bank. This place has seen hundreds of captured elephants released back into the wild.

Sometimes an elephant might just collapse upon stepping onto the ground and a small does of Revivon has to be administered via the back of the ear.

The wide awaked elephant is usually angry but confused and it is usual to see that the elephant will head for the
waters to cool itself down. There has been no loss of any elephant during this tedious overland through water
and back to overland process.

The elephant will then head deep into the jungles of Taman Negara to be back in the company of old friends
and relatives that were once captured and translocated. It is always a very satisfying sight to see the elephant
raise their trunk up as if to wave the team a permanent goodbye....

The elephants are OURS to protect. Help us to continue saving them by donating generously towards the
Elephant Trust Fund DIRECTLY!

Where & when will this translocation ever stop?
human development & wildlife conservation.............
can it ever work together successfully?
for whatever the outcome will be, the gallant men of the
ECTU will always be there to serve and protect
both the humans' & elephants' interest!

1985

2002

1985

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