Lucky Tourists Get to Witness Borneo Elephant Herd Swimming Across the Kinabatangan River!

A group of tourists in Sabah had the experience of their lifetimes recently after they managed to see a herd of Borneo Pygmy Elephants firsthand, 1 of the “Borneo Big 5”, while on a cruise on the Kinabatangan River.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, the Borneo Big 5 refers to the 5 most iconic wildlife animals in the Borneo island, which includes the Pygmy Elephants, Proboscis Monkey, Orangutan, Rhinoceros Hornbill and Estuarine Crocodile. A Pygmy Elephant is considered among the hardest to encounter of the 5, let alone a herd of them.

Lucky tourists get to witness a herd of Borneo Pygmy Elephant swimming across the Kinabatangan River!

Shared by Gobot Adventures on TikTok, the video shows the elephant herd swimming across the Kinabatangan River as several boats full of tourists stand in awe of the majestic animals.

An Asian elephant subspecies only found in Borneo and comparatively smaller than other elephant species, the herd can be seen slowly swimming across the river while their trunks are above water, acting like a snorkelling apparatus.

Like other elephant herds, the herd was led by the matriarch, the oldest and largest mother in the herd, which was at the very front while crossing the river.

The herd also seemed not to mind the boats full of tourists nearby and just casually swam across the river without any fuss.

Watch the video here:

@gobotadventures Gajah Pygmy Borneo ? #elephant #gajah #sabah #borneo #sabahantiktokers #travellingwithgobot ♬ original sound – gobotadventures

Malaysians are in awe of the majestic animal

Many Malaysians, especially Sabahans, flocked to the comments section and were in awe of the pygmy elephant herd and noted how lucky the tourists were to have encountered the majestic animal.

One commenter noted that the Borneo Pygmy Elephants can only be found on the island and is different from other elephant species in the world.

Meanwhile, another commenter joked that he was always perplexed as to why the pygmy elephants never travelled to Sarawak and only mainly scattered in Sabah.

Besides that, one commenter asserted that the tourists were very lucky to be at the right time and place to witness the herd crossing the river.

If you’re interested in seeing elephants in Malaysia swimming, check out this story we published last year about a family of elephants taking a dip in Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu.

So, what do you guys think of the latest video? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

Also read: Perhilitan Uses Excavator in a 5-Hour Operation to Rescue Wild Elephant Stuck in a Longkang in Perak