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Two Sumatran elephants shot dead in Indonesian park

Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
March 31, 2009

With an estimated less than 3,000 individuals left in the wild, any unnatural death of a Sumatran elephant is cause for conservationists to worry. But two of them shot dead is may be described as devastating.

As reported by the Associated Press, two 20-year-old female Sumatran elephants were found on March 24th dead in the forests of Kerinci National Park due to gunshots in the head. The females had been partners with local rangers, who rode them to patrol the park to keep out illegal loggers.

The Sumatran elephant is a subspecies of these Asian elephants in Thailand. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.

"It is a big blow to our efforts to protect these endangered animals," Andi Basrul, provisional conservation chief, told AP. He also said that he believed the crime was carried out by professional poachers. An investigation is planned by local police.

Sumatran elephants, a subspecies of the Asian elephant, are threatened largely by habitat loss due to deforestation for logs or oil palm plantations. Loss of habitat has brought elephants increasingly in contact with locals.

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(01/15/2009) A population of 631 Asian elephants has been documented in Malaysia's Taman Negara National Park, reports the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The population may be the largest in Southeast Asia. Scientists from WCS and Malaysia's Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) counted elephant dung piles to estimate the protected area's population size. There were no previous scientific population surveys for elephants in the park.

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CITATION:
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com (March 31, 2009).

Two Sumatran elephants shot dead in Indonesian park.

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0331-hance_sumatranelephants.html

Tags:
wildlife mammals indonesia sumatra endangered species jeremy hance green environment elephants animals poaching protected areas rainforest animals

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