Weeks After Tennoji Zoo Reported Kelat’s Broken Tusk, PERHILITAN Explained The Second Trim Only After Public Outcry
When footage of Malaysian elephant Kelat went viral at Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, PERHILITAN issued a statement. The zoo had already written about his left tusk chipping weeks before — but his right tusk’s trimming had no explanation until public pressure forced one.
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When a video of Malaysian elephant Kelat showing visibly trimmed tusks at Osaka’s Tennoji Zoo went viral, PERHILITAN finally issued a statement.
They explained that a planned medical procedure was conducted on the elephant’s right tusk, but this was weeks after the zoo’s own blog revealed the elephant’s left tusk had chipped upon arrival in Japan.
The Tennoji Zoo blog has not posted any updates of the procedure on the right tusk.
Kelat is one of three Malayan elephants — the others are Dara and Amoi — transferred from Taiping Zoo to Tennoji Zoo in Osaka earlier this year.
The transfer took place in March, after which the animals spent two weeks in quarantine before beginning outdoor acclimatisation on 27 March.
On 30 March, Zoo Tennoji published a blog post describing how the elephants were settling in.
It noted that Kelat’s left tusk had chipped unexpectedly after arriving in Japan — an incident the zoo described as shocking — and that Malaysian keepers who had travelled with the elephants filed down the jagged edge to prevent further damage.
A metal ring was fitted to stop the crack from spreading; the zoo’s expectation at that point was simple: wait for the tusk to grow back.
Then, on Monday (13 April), PERHILITAN issued its statement after the video went viral, more than two weeks after the zoo had already made the incident public on its blog.
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What PERHILITAN Said vs. What Tennoji Zoo’s Blog Already Reported
According to PERHILITAN, the damage was identified on Kelat’s left tusk — consistent with the zoo’s blog — but the trimming was carried out on the right tusk as a structural balancing measure, to prevent uneven pressure on the head and jaw.
The Zoo Tennoji blog makes no mention of any procedure on the right tusk, none at all.
One describes an unexpected incident managed on the spot; the other describes a deliberate veterinary intervention on a different tusk entirely; the gap between them has not been addressed by either party.
The right tusk trimming described in PERHILITAN’s statement does not appear in the zoo’s 30 March blog post — it is unclear whether this procedure took place after that date or was simply not reported by the zoo.
The most straightforward explanation is that the right tusk trimming happened after the 30 March blog post, as a follow-up procedure the zoo has not yet publicly addressed.
Questions That Still Need Answers
The medical rationale for balancing a tusk after structural damage is not unreasonable.
Vets do recommend it, but the timeline now raises questions that go beyond the procedure itself.
The damage occurred in Japan, after the transfer was complete, not before departure, and not as a pre-existing condition.
If Malaysian keepers were present and responded to the initial chipping, at what point was PERHILITAN formally notified?
And why does the department’s public statement make no reference to the zoo’s own account, which has already been on the public record for weeks?
PERHILITAN says it is “cooperating” with Taiping Zoo and Tennoji Zoo to monitor the elephants.
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Beyond the Tusk
The tusk has become the focal point, but the wider concern is about what happens to three Malayan elephants — a protected species — once they leave Malaysian soil.
Public anxiety about the transfer was already running high before the video surfaced; a petition calling for the elephants’ return has since gathered more than 89,299 signatures as of writing.
Medical decisions are being made about them under foreign zoo management, and the public is learning about it through viral videos and blog posts rather than through proactive communication.
When the procedure was medically necessary, it was the right call.
That is not in dispute.
The procedure may have been necessary, but Malaysians shouldn’t have to wait for something to go viral before the agency protecting their wildlife speaks up.
Tennoji Zoo posted about it in March. PERHILITAN explained it in April. The video went viral in between.
The elephants, for their part, have not issued a statement. Kelat, presumably, is adjusting.
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