A species of elephant thought extinct has been found living in Borneo!

An ancient tradition of gift giving in Asia may have saved a population of elephants from extinction. A population of unusually placid and genetically distinct elephants has been found in the northeast corner of Borneo. Scientists had been confused why these elephants were less aggressive and their range more restricted than other wild elephants in Asia.

They found that these elephants might have come from a far away area that now is Indonesia. How did they get there? Historical records suggest that the sultan of Java sent them as gifts to the sultan of Sulu. For unknown reasons, descendants of the elephants were sent to Borneo and abandoned, where they thrived.

Learn more about these elephants here.