DNA sampling seems to confirm that Borneo elephants are (or rather have become) a subspecies of the elephant race: apparantly Borneo elephants were seperated from their relatives about 300,000 years ago.
Borneo’s ‘pygmee’ elephants are significantly smaller, have relatively bigger ears, larger tails and are generally better-tempered. The WWF has called for protection of the elephants:
“In Borneo the main threat is habitat loss, particularly for cash crops like oil palm and other crops which can attract the elephants. They’re not helped by their lack of aggression. When someone approaches they don’t charge but often back away, almost apologetically, and that increases their vulnerability.”