US military satellites track pygmy elephants

The same satellite system used by the US military to track vehicle convoys in Iraq is helping the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to shed light on the little-known world of pygmy elephants in Borneo.

This week marks the six-month anniversary of the first pygmy elephants being captured and fitted with a collar that can send GPS locations to the WWF daily via satellite.

Now, for the first time, the public can track the movements of the elephants online through an interactive web map. 

"No one has ever studied pygmy elephants before, so everything we're learning is groundbreaking," said Dr Christy Williams, who leads the WWF's Asian elephant conservation efforts and worked with experts to use commercial satellite technology to track Asian elephants for the first time.

"We will be following these elephants for several years by satellite to identify their home ranges, and working with the Malaysian government to conserve the most critical areas."

Five elephants have been collared by the WWF and Malaysia's Sabah Wildlife Department, with support from the US Fish and Wildlife Service.