Based on Government Regulation (PP) number 7 of 1999 on Preservation of Plant and Wildlife, including elephants in the category of protected animals. Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) spread in mainland Asia from India to the Malay Peninsula and in Sumatra and Borneo. During this time the presence of wild elephants in Indonesia are only recorded on the island of Sumatra alone, and the population of Sumatran elephants at this time (Elephas maximus sumatrana) is getting reduced due to various threats such as hunting and deforestation. While on the island of Borneo, the elephant is only found in Eastern and Southern parts of Sabah and in the far North who explains that the spread of elephants on Borneo island are very limited (Anonymous, 2006).Formerly it was thought at the Borneo elephant population is not an original, but introduced into this region about 300 years ago. After genetic testing through DNA testing, proved that the Borneo elephants were significantly different from other types of elephants in Asia and Africa. Also found evidence that the Borneo elephants are separated from the other elephant populations in mainland Asia and Sumatra, about 300,000 years ago. It is becoming clear evidence that elephants are native to Borneo. Borneo elephant today is strongly suspected as a separate sub-species, known as Elephas maximus borneensis a Better known as the Little Elephant Borneo ("Bornean Pygmy Elephant") (WWF Indonesia, 2006).Morphology and Elephant HabitatIndonesia was endowed by God Almighty, has a Borneo elephants are not found in other regions of the earth that is Elephas maximus borneensis. The smallest size of this elephant Asian elephants among other, larger ears, longer tails, relatively straight tusks, another form of the upper head of the Sumatran elephant, as well as more adapted to living in hilly areas (Wulffrat, 2006). The main habitats of Borneo elephants include: Lowland Forest Dipterocarpa, Dipterocarpa Forest Hills, Forest, River Edge, Oak Forest and Swamp Forest Lower Mountains.Elephant deploymentThe existence of populations of wild elephants in Borneo known to spread in the Sebuku Nunukan district since the 1960s. At that time people often see groups of wild elephants when they're hunting or looking for gaharu in the forests around the border with Malaysia. On the island of Borneo, Indonesia in particular areas, the elephant is only found in the most northern province of East Borneo. This area is located in the border region Nunukan district, bordering the State of Sabah, Malaysia, especially in Sebuku District and surrounding areas. Major rivers in the District of Nunukan is Sebuku River and River Sembakung, both have a long enough flow area from the west to the mountains north towards the sea. Distribution Borneo elephant is almost entirely confined to the Sebuku River basin. Only occasionally solitary elephant (to be alone) achieved Sembakung District area .Borneo Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis) based on information from the community itself has seen since 1986. The quality of habitat for elephants in Indonesia Region (Northern East Kalimantan) and the Sabah region which decreased significantly in the last decade led, since 2004, there were public reports that the elephants approached the village and eating wild plants in community gardens are located adjacent to the forest even though the incidence is still rare.
Conservation Efforts That Has to Do For the protection and conservation of elephants, conservation efforts have been made in this case the Central Government through the Ministry of Forestry BKSDA East Borneo, Nunukan District Government and the International NGO WWF-Indonesia. Meeting coordination of various stakeholders related to the handling of this conflict has been repeatedly held to the policy-making in the conservation of elephants, which are as follows: 1. Beginning in 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2004 surveys have been conducted joint MoF (DG PHKA) and WWF-Indonesia to determine the existence of this elephant, but the results are less satisfactory because the survey team found only a trace, dirt and plants in the yard and community gardens that were damaged by Elephant. 2. In September of 2006 and the survey team managed to find a community elephants have tusks along the ± 80 cm with a height of ± 280 cm. It is not certain whether these elephants live in pairs or solitary. Allegedly elephant separated from his group or an outside observer condition homerange usual path to determine the availability of feed ingredients. Elephants have been found are located in the mating period so it looks a bit aggressive. 3. In September of 2006 carried Training Activity Elephant Conflict Mitigation Efforts. This training resulted in a discussion forum interruption of wild elephants that serves as the coordination and communication to address human-elephant conflict in the District of Sebuku. The container is formed democratically and given the name "Elephant Disorder Reduction Working Group Sebuku" (KKPGGS). 4. In February s / d in March 2007 conducted a survey deployment solitary elephant. The elephants are solitary elephant who travels without a flock, but only occasionally alone or together with same-gender friends. The elephants are almost always solitary males. They could have an elephant young adults who are not allowed to follow the herd and are already out of the group, or an adult male who may join the herd during mating season and trying to mate with the adult female elephants. Based on reports from villagers of Sebuku, now there are 3 (three) elephants roam, 2 (two) tails found in the woods around the village of Kalunsayan and the remaining 1 (one) tail in the woods around the village of Sekikilan. But the survey team found only one with a different elephant elephant found in the first survey in September 2006. 5. In the year 2008 (as of this writing unloaded) Colars GPS installation is being done to find out more definite about the Borneo elephants roaming the area.
Land Use and Their Impact on Elephants and Elephant Conservation Issues It can generally be grouped that the type of land use include: logging (both legal and illegal), land clearing for plantations (mainly oil), and for agriculture in the broad sense (WWF Indonesia, 2006). At least three key issues that need to get in the field of conservation concern in the short-medium term in Nunukan district, associated with the occurrence of conflicts between elephants to humans, namely: 1. Loss of habitat Conversion of forests into oil palm or other plantations will likely become a major threat to elephant populations in Sebuku 2. Elephant-human conflict Conflicts with humans have started to happen. Elephants have been attacking oil palm plantations and crops.
