Population of Sumatran elephants in Riau province has dropped about 75% in the last 11 years and when there is no unified treatment, is expected to become extinct within the next five years, according to the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Wednesday (05/04)
Factors wild elephant population is declining due to deforestation due to illegal logging and uncontrolled conversion of forests into oil palm plantations. This led to increasing conflicts between humans and elephants, where elephants were forced to eat the crops to replace their natural food
Elephants are shot, poisoned or captured to death reached 400 individuals, only in Riau province alone. Investigation of WWF since 2000, found 45 dead elephants because they were shot or poisoned by residents and 16 people died as a result of conflict with elephants
Since the last 23 years, forests in Riau decreased breadth ranging from 6.4 million hectares up to 2.7 million hectares, was caused by illegal logging and land clearing for agriculture. From 1999 to 2003, the province of Riau's elephant population loss of 50%, with the possibility of only 350 remaining tail alone
Observers environmental and conservation officials say that the opening of plantations and villages in the traffic lane elephants cause increased conflict between elephants and humans.
TEMPO Interactive :In the last two years, seven Sumatran elephants at the Elephant Training Center Bengkulu province, died. Their deaths prove the viability of rare and protected animals in the forests of Kerinci National Park Sebelat (TNKS), particularly the Sumatran tiger, Sumatran elephants and Sumatran rhino, increasingly threatened with extinction. "I am very concerned with this condition," Agus said Priambudi, head of Bureau of Conservation of Natural Resources (BKSDA) Bengkulu, told Tempo News Room.
In addition to untreated pain - because not having a vet - which later resulted in death, elephants living there is also more urgency. The proof, according to Agus, they more often attack oil palm plantation area in North Bengkulu area. Besides, life is also threatened elephant poaching.
The number of elephants that d the Elephant Training Center
, before reaching 50 tail, now only 23 tail.
