Elephant calf tries to wake dead mother

Wildlife officials in Malaysia have rescued a baby pygmy elephant calf that was found trying to wake its dead mother, which is believed to have been poisoned.

The dead elephant was one of seven males and three females that have been found dead in in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve in Sabah state, Borneo, over the past three weeks, the Daily Mail reports.

Sabah's environment minister Masidi Manjun said it was a "sad day".

"The death of these majestic and severely endangered Bornean elephants is a great loss to the state," Mr Masidi said.

He vowed to take action against the perpetrators if the animals are found to have been deliberately killed.

"If indeed these poor elephants were maliciously poisoned, I would personally make sure that the culprits would be brought to justice and pay for their crime," Mr Masidi said.

Post-mortem examinations found the elephants had suffered severe haemorrhages and ulcers in their gastrointestinal tracts.

There are believed to be fewer than 1500 Borneo pygmy elephants left.