TASIK KENYIR, MALAYSIA: The Elephant Sanctuary at Sungai Ketiar, by the scenic Tasik Kenyir-Gua Musang road, has become a hit with a record of nearly 6,000 visitors in just three months since it was unofficially opened to the public.

Road users, either those travelling to or from Gua Musang and Cameron Highlands, have made the sanctuary a must stop area to feast their eyes on the trained elephants or to just stretch out after a long journey.

The main attraction at the moment is a pair of elephants, the female named Suria and the bull named Chalil, who were trained at the Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary in Pahang, some years ago.

Suria was captured in Setiu, while Chalil was rescued in Gua Musang, Kelantan.

The mahouts or elephant trainers at the sanctuary said the pair of pachyderms understood commands in three languages, namely Burmese, Thai and Malay, and Suria will readily accept humans riding on its back.
At the moment only Suria, weighing 1.8 tonnes, can be approached and fed by the public, while Chalil, looking much smaller and weighing 1.3 tonnes, is trying to adapt to its new home.

The sanctuary at Sungai Ketiar was the brainchild of former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh who wanted to add value to the already scenic road that has earned a reputation as the most beautiful stretch of road in the country.

The sanctuary covers a 15,000ha primary rainforest area from Sungai Ketiar to Aring near the Kelantan border.

Soon, the sanctuary will introduce other attractions including a more than 400m long canopy walk, lodging facilities and boating along Sungai Ketiar.

Wildlife and National Parks Department rangers said the sanctuary was ideally located in an area known for its high-density elephant population.

"So far, we have identified two herds of more than 20 animals foraging near the sanctuary.

"We are sure there are many more roaming in the virgin forest," said Zulkifli Ayob, the officer-in-charge of the sanctuary.

The state government has plans to develop several lay-bys along the scenic stretch fronting Tasik Kenyir to promote tourism.