Kedah: The Kedah State Museum Board has expanded its collection with the addition of an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) skull specimen found along the coast of Pantai Leman, Kuala Kedah, last year. Kedah State Museum director Suhaidi Shukri said the specimen, weighing about 50 kilogrammes, was handed over by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the discovery of the elephant skull specimen by fishermen in September last year attracted the attention of the authorities before it was taken for examination and further action. The specimen still has parts of the skull structure and teeth intact. Museum officers visited the site on September 28 last year to inspect and identify the condition of the specimen.

He said Perhilitan subsequently took the mammal skull for investigation before it was handed over to the museum for further study. Suhaidi said preliminary observations indicated that the skull had likely been in the sea for a considerable period, based on its condition, which was covered with barnacles and mud due to natural environmental processes.

He said the handover was part of efforts to preserve the state's history, document and study wildlife specimens as reference materials and educational resources, while enhancing knowledge of the state's biodiversity and natural heritage. He added that detailed studies, including several procedures, would be carried out before the specimen could be put on public display at the museum.