KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to work with three organisations to conserve the state's elephants.

       The Elephant Sanctuary of Tennessee, the United Kingdom based animal charity Wild Welfare and local conservation group Seratu Aatai have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sabah Wildlife Department.

       The department, in a statement, on Monday (March 21) said the broad objective of the collaboration was focused on the health and welfare of both wild and captive elephants in Sabah.

       It noted, for captive elephants, the signatories have agreed to promote and develop international standards of care, husbandry and welfare for the elephants at the department's Lok Kawi Wildlife Park in Kota Kinabalu.

       Wild Welfare and the Elephant Sanctuary have pledged to provide technical advice, training and practical assistance to help state wildlife officials to develop self-sustaining programmes for elephant care.

       For the wild elephants, the signatories will focus upon developing and implementing strategies to reduce and mitigate incidences of human-elephant conflict in the Lower Kinabatangan region of Sabah.

       Additionally, resources will be provided to local communities through Seratu Aatai in the form of elephant awareness education and training, the statement said.

       Senior officials including department director Augustine Tuuga attended the MOU signing ceremony.