# Borneo Pygmy Elephant — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Elephas maximus borneensis*

> A Borneo pygmy elephant is the smallest subspecies of Asian elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), native to the island of Borneo in Sabah, Malaysia and Kalimantan, Indonesia; the IUCN listed it as Endangered in 2024 with about 1,000 left in the wild.

**IUCN status:** Endangered (subspecies, 2024) — ~1,000 left  ·  **WARN range:** Malaysia, Indonesia

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | Typically into the mid-50s in the wild (Asian elephant) |
| Weight | Several tonnes; large bulls up to roughly 5,000 kg |
| Shoulder height | About 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft); smallest elephant subspecies |
| Diet | Herbivore — grasses, leaves, bark, roots, shoots, fruit |
| Gestation | About 22 months (one of the longest of any land animal) |
| Young per birth | Usually one calf |
| Baby name | Calf |
| Group name | Herd, led by a matriarch |
| CITES | Appendix I (Asian elephant) |
| IUCN status | Endangered (subspecies, assessed 2024) |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Proboscidea
- **Family:** Elephantidae
- **Genus:** Elephas
- **Species:** Elephas maximus (Asian elephant)
- **Subspecies:** E. m. borneensis (Deraniyagala, 1950)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Endangered
- **Population:** ~1,000 individuals (about 400 breeding adults)
- **Trend:** Decreasing
- **Assessed:** 2024
- **CITES:** Appendix I
- Assessed Endangered in June 2024 as the subspecies Elephas maximus borneensis (assessment T237597413A237597422). The population is estimated to have declined by at least 50% over the last three generations (roughly 60–75 years), driven by loss of about 60% of forest habitat in 40 years.

## Key facts: Borneo Pygmy Elephant
- It is the smallest of all elephant subspecies, with a notably round body, oversized ears and a tail that can nearly brush the ground.
- Found only on Borneo, almost entirely in the Malaysian state of Sabah, with a small population across the border in Indonesian Kalimantan.
- The IUCN assessed it as Endangered in June 2024, estimating about 1,000 individuals, of which roughly 400 are breeding adults.
- Around 60% of its forest habitat has been lost in the past four decades, mainly to logging and commercial oil-palm planting.
- Habitat fragmentation forces elephants into farms and plantations, fuelling human-elephant conflict that can be deadly for both sides.
- Like all Asian elephants it is listed on CITES Appendix I, banning commercial international trade in the animal or its parts.

## Why it is endangered
In June 2024 the IUCN Red List classified the Borneo elephant as Endangered for the first time, estimating roughly 1,000 animals with only about 400 breeding adults. The population is judged to have declined by at least half over the last three generations, a span of some 60 to 75 years. The single biggest driver is habitat loss: around 60% of the elephants' forest has disappeared in just four decades, cleared for timber and for the vast oil-palm plantations that now blanket lowland Borneo. Roads, settlements and plantation boundaries slice the remaining forest into pieces, cutting elephants off from food and from one another.

## Behaviour and ecology
Borneo pygmy elephants live in close-knit family herds led by the oldest female, the matriarch, who carries the group's memory of feeding grounds and water. They are bulk plant-eaters, feeding mainly on grasses but also stripping leaves, bark, roots, shoots and wild fruit, and a single adult Asian elephant can eat well over 100 kilograms of vegetation a day. Isolated on Borneo for hundreds of thousands of years, they evolved a smaller body, proportionally larger ears, a longer tail and straighter tusks than mainland Asian elephants — and a reputation for being relatively placid.

## Threats and human conflict
As plantations replace forest, elephants increasingly cross into farmland and oil-palm estates to feed, trampling and raiding crops. The resulting conflict can be lethal: elephants are sometimes shot, snared or poisoned, and high-profile poisoning cases in Sabah have drawn international attention. Additional pressures include poaching for tusks, mining, and collisions with vehicles on plantation and logging roads. With so few breeding adults left, every animal lost to conflict matters to the subspecies' survival.

## What rescue and recovery involve
Protecting Borneo's elephants means keeping forest connected and keeping people and elephants apart safely. Conservation work centres on wildlife corridors that link the three remaining core habitat blocks through plantation country, electric fencing and early-warning systems to reduce crop raids, rapid-response teams to move elephants out of danger, and the rescue and rehabilitation of injured or orphaned animals. Because so much of the range sits inside working plantations, durable solutions depend on local rangers, sanctuaries and community partners on the ground in Sabah and Kalimantan.

## Borneo pygmy elephant vs. mainland Asian elephant
| Feature | Borneo pygmy elephant | Mainland Asian elephant |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Elephas maximus borneensis | Elephas maximus (other subspecies) |
| Size | Smallest elephant subspecies | Larger, taller at the shoulder |
| Ears & tail | Proportionally larger ears, longer tail | Smaller ears, shorter tail relative to body |
| Range | Borneo only (Sabah; small part of Kalimantan) | India, Sri Lanka, mainland SE Asia, Sumatra |
| IUCN status | Endangered (subspecies, 2024) | Endangered (species level) |
| Population | ~1,000 | Tens of thousands across range |

## What WARN does
Both of the Borneo pygmy elephant's range states, Malaysia and Indonesia, are among the five countries where our network funds local partners. Rather than running our own operations, WARN CIC is a registered global not-for-profit animal welfare organisation that channels support to vetted local shelters, sanctuaries and rescue teams — exactly the kind of frontline groups that respond to injured elephants, run anti-conflict patrols and rehabilitate orphaned calves in Sabah and Kalimantan. Our focus is funding those partners and raising public awareness; on-the-ground rescue and release is always led by the local experts who know these forests.

With only about 1,000 left, every Borneo pygmy elephant counts — your gift helps fund the local rescue teams and sanctuaries in Sabah and Kalimantan that keep these forest giants and the people near them safe.

## Frequently asked questions: Borneo Pygmy Elephant
### How many Borneo pygmy elephants are left?
About 1,000 remain in the wild according to the IUCN's 2024 assessment, of which roughly 400 are breeding adults. Almost all live in Sabah, Malaysia, with a small population in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

### Why is the Borneo pygmy elephant the smallest elephant?
Isolated on the island of Borneo for hundreds of thousands of years, the population evolved a smaller body along with proportionally larger ears, a longer tail and straighter tusks — making it the smallest of all elephant subspecies.

### How big is a Borneo pygmy elephant?
Adults generally stand around 2.5 to 3 metres (about 8 to 10 feet) at the shoulder. They are noticeably smaller and rounder than mainland Asian elephants, though large bulls can still weigh several tonnes.

### What do Borneo pygmy elephants eat?
They are herbivores that feed mainly on grasses, plus leaves, bark, roots, shoots and wild fruit. A single adult Asian elephant can consume well over 100 kilograms of plant matter a day.

### Are Borneo pygmy elephants dangerous?
They are wild animals and can be dangerous if threatened or crowded, especially mothers with calves, but the subspecies is generally considered more placid than other elephants. Most serious conflict happens when elephants and people are forced together by habitat loss.

### How long do Borneo pygmy elephants live, and what is a baby called?
Asian elephants typically live into their mid-50s in the wild. A baby is called a calf, born after a gestation of about 22 months — among the longest pregnancies of any land animal — and is raised by the whole herd.

## Sources
- [IUCN — Bornean elephant Endangered (press release, 2024)](https://iucn.org/press-release/202406/bornean-elephant-endangered-iucn-red-list)
- [IUCN — Borneo elephants now classified as Endangered (story, 2024)](https://iucn.org/story/202406/borneo-elephants-now-classified-endangered-iucn-red-list)
- [IUCN Red List — Elephas maximus ssp. borneensis (2024 assessment)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/237597413/237597422)
- [Smithsonian's National Zoo — Asian elephant](https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/asian-elephant)
- [CITES — Elephants programme](https://cites.org/eng/prog/terrestrial_fauna/elephants)
- [Wikipedia — Borneo elephant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo_elephant)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/borneo-pygmy-elephant