Ten rare Borneo pygymy elephants found dead

Ten rare and endangered borneo pygymy elephants were found dead in a forest in Malaysia Tuesday with an unknown cause of death, new sources report.

Over the past three weeks the carcasses of the ten dead Borneo pygymy elephants have been found at the Gunung Forest Reserve in Borneo, according to the New York Times. The cause of death appears to be poisoning, but whether the poisoning was intentional is still unknown, USA Today reports.

Sabah environmental minister, Masidi Manjun, told USA Today that there are no signs that the Borneo pygymy elephants were poached for their tusks. Masidi Manjun also said in his statement to USA Today, "The death of these majestic and severely endangered Borneo elephants is a great loss to the state."

The World Wildlife Foundation estimates that less than 1,500 Borneo pygymy elephants are still alive, according to the New York Times.