The elephant centre at Kuala Gandah only receives limited government funding for its translocation work. Due to a serious lack of funds, the living conditions for the resident elephants at the centre were exceedingly poor (and although the conditions are now better, there are still improvements that need to be made). The elephants at the centre used to spend almost all of their time on concrete platforms with their front and back legs attached to short chains. They had little opportunity to exercise or to interact with one another. For these highly intelligent and social animals, such conditions can lead to a wide range of physical, psychological, and developmental problems. The centre and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks were concerned about this situation and agreed to work with the Malaysian Elephant Appeal to reform the conditions at the centre. Boh Plantations, with their ongoing commitment to elephant conservation, provided the base funding to get the first phase of projects underway. The construction of an enclosure for the elephants was the initial project that the Appeal undertook to improve the situation at Kuala Gandah (see below for more details).

The adult elephants were chained in a row to a concrete pad.

Putting an elephant in chains all day results in a reaction similar to that of a human being in solitary confinement. Above and beyond simple boredom, the elephants at the centre were suffering deep psychological distress caused by lack of movement, lack of stimulation, and isolation from one another.

In the wild, Asian elephants have home ranges of hundreds of square kilometers. They sleep very little and spend 18 hours a day wandering through these ranges and browsing on vegetation. Elephants that are kept constantly chained begin to display what is known as "stereotypic behaviour." Lacking any ability to move and use their energy and lacking any cognitive stimulation, elephants presenting stereotypic behaviour spend their days rocking back and forth. Elephants are extremely intelligent animals. Their brain to body ratio, a good indication of intelligence, is very similar to that of humans and whales. Researchers estimate that elephants have at least the intelligence of a 10 year old human being. Given this established fact, long periods of chaining with no intellectual stimulation at all is therefore deeply troubling for an elephant.

Like humans, elephants need to socialize with one another.

Elephants, especially females, also lead a complex social life. Socializing is a crucial part of the healthy development of young elephants. When chained for long periods of time, elephants are deprived of this vital interaction. Physically chained elephants are also forced to stand in their own urine and excrement. The elephants find this situation deeply distasteful and, moreover, it tends to lead to a wide variety of foot and leg problems, including serious infections. The chains themselves often cause cutting and scarring, as the elephant sways and rocks to the limit of the length of the chain. To immediately address the situation, the first priority of the Malaysian Elephant Appeal was the construction of an enclosure in which the elephants could roam freely and interact with one another.

The chains cause wounds, seen  top left

Working with international experts on elephants in captivity, the Malaysian Elephant Appeal designed a suitable enclosure for the elephants at Kuala Gandah. In fact, two enclosures were constructed, each to be used on a 6 month rotation to allow for plant regeneration and to prevent soil compaction. Each enclosure is approximately 1.5 acres in size. Although the Appeal ultimately wished for a much larger enclosure, after consultation with the elephant centre's staff, it was clear that a smaller enclosure is what they felt more comfortable with. It is hoped that the current enclosure will be a good starting point and will pave the way for larger enclosures in the future. The enclosure includes a hot wire (electrical) fence, as well as a physical barrier made of "Cyclone" fencing. This type of fencing system, commonly used on farms in North America, has proven highly effective in ensuring that captive elephants remain within an enclosure. The hot wire is designed as a psychological barrier and is not intended to hurt the elephants in any way. The elephant will touch the wire once and receive a shock. The shock will only last an instant and there will be no lasting injury. After the elephant's initial contact with the fence, all experts who have used this system indicate that the elephant will not touch the wire again.

The enclosure was successfully completed in 2001; however, there are still many improvements to be made at Kuala Gandah. For more information on other Malaysian Elephant Appeal initiatives, please go to the Future Projects section.

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