Larson Electronics Donates Rechargeable LED Spotlights to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary
OutdoorHub 04.23.14
The Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary is a rare and fantastic opportunity to get up close to endemic Malaysian elephants. The elephants at the sanctuary have been rescued from all over Peninsula Malaysia, providing them a safe sanctuary in the wild.
The elephant sanctuary was established in 1989 within the Krau Wildlife Reserve, and is managed by the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks. The elephants at the sanctuary are not captured elephants, they are elephants that have been abandoned and are at risk of harm in nature, therefore adopted by the sanctuary. Larson Electronics is donating their RL-85-10W1 rechargeable LED spotlights to assist the keepers of the sanctuary with their wild elephant rescue operations. Due to agricultural development, the elephants’ natural foraging grounds shrunk and finding food became more difficult. As a result, some elephants were found in plantations and in small towns looking for food.
Only the elephants that are seriously injured and the ones without a chance of surviving in the wild on their own are brought back to the sanctuary by the Elephant Capture & Translocation Unit. The other wild elephants that are healthy are relocated to a new living environment, far away from the plantations. Capturing a wild elephant is not an easy task. The sanctuary uses their two older elephants, Chek Mek and Mek Bunga. They assist the rescue team by leading the wild elephant to a special truck that is capable of supporting the weight of the elephant. The two elephants position themselves on either side of the captured elephant while the team attaches chains around its shoulders. The process of relocating an elephant may take many days to accomplish.
Not long after tourists found out about the elephant shelter, the town quickly evolved into a popular tourist attraction. In the past 25 years the staff at Kuala Gandah has helped to prevent the further decrease of the elephant population by relocating 400 elephants back into the wild. Some may say that the sanctuary is just a tourist attraction, but it brings awareness and knowledge to the public about these displaced gentle giants.
“I believe that the elephant sanctuary is doing a great thing and I am proud to donate to the rescuing efforts of such a beautiful animal,” Rob Bresnahan with Larsonelectonics.com said. “The long runtime and durability of these spotlights works well for their overnight missions.”
