$500 a piece durian is elephants . . . . . . .

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Malaysia, November 16, 2010

UNDIGESTED durian fruits excreted by elephants may sound disgusting, but faecal fruit could well be the most expensive (and delicious) aphrodisiac from the jungle.

As supply is scarce, it is learnt that timber tycoons with good connections with the Orang Asli are willing to pay about RM1,000 for a sample.

Simply termed as "elephant durians", the fruits are collected the same way as kopi luwak (civet coffee) in Indonesia.

While the natives in Sumatra trail after the civet in search for its faeces consisting of undigested coffee berries, the Jakun in Malaysian forests follow elephants which have swallowed durian fruits.

They have to take the risk to follow the mammals for at least four hours, as this is the duration needed by the animals for digestion before the fruit is excreted with the faeces.

Malaysia Nature Society advisor (Johor branch) Vincent Chow heard about this aphrodisiac from his timber tycoon friends and Orang Asli.

He said timber tycoons will usually book in advance the fruits from the Orang Asli during the durian season.

"The Orang Asli are willing to trail the animal because of the good money the excreted fruit can fetch.

"Based on what Orang Asli tell us, the faeces of elephant smell like tea and is not smelly at all as the mammal is a herbivore.

"Moreover, the fruit remains clean as no dirt or bacteria can penetrate the hard and fibrous husk within the short time span.

"Tycoons claim that the fruit will become an aphrodisiac after passing through the elephant's digestive tract.

"Although there is no scientific evidence to suggest so, the high demand and good price for the fruit speak for itself," he told Streets.

t is learnt that elephants will roll the fruit on the jungle floor by using its foot to smoothen its thorny surface before rolling and wrapping it with grass and leaves from the jungle floor and swallowing it.

The mammal usually swallows more than one fruit at a time.

This is probably the second food item in the world consumed by human in the form of faeces.

The first is the above mentioned civet coffee.

It is said the beans of this coffee yield a fragrant aroma and tastes much less bitter, and widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.

Apparently elephant-dung durians are also sought after in Thailand and Indonesia.

A website showcasing tropical fruits said: "In Thailand, durians that have passed through an elephant (undigested) are particularly prized for their perfect ripeness."

One durian lover said on a Thai website that the beasts help to "enhance the taste of durians".

"They roll the fruit on the ground so as to cover the thorns with grass and leaves; the fruit is then swallowed whole and passes through the animal’s digestve system, ripening furthur in the process. I think this is some kind of elephant spa digestive tract cleansing treatment. The whole fruit that comes out through the other end is worth its weight and taste in gold!!! Men are said to eagerly hunt for this treasure, unfortunately so do tigers."

An Indonesian netizen responding to a foreign blogger who couldn't appreciate durians said: "If nobody can't yet convince you about the deliciousness of this fruit, probably trying out the "durian gajah," or the elephant's durian could turn you into a believer.

"This is the kind of durian that is swallowed in whole by an elephant, and after being ripened (and probably hormonally treated) through the animal's digestive system, is secreted out along with its feces. The resulting fruit is delicious beyond description.. Too bad it's not as easy to come by as the luwak coffee, which has a similar story with this type of durian, since elephants are becoming increasingly rare in the country."

But some cynics dismissed talk of elephant-dung durians as an urban legend.

However, some durian lovers swore that they have had the elephant-ripened fruit and it's more delicious than the normal ones.

Said one netizen: "Check the huge ass of the elephant!"