Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has deployed veterinarians to perform a necropsy on a Sumatran elephant found dead at a palm oil plantation in Aceh Tamiang District.
Aceh conservation agency chief Ujang Wisnu Barata said the necropsy was being conducted to determine the cause of death of the protected animal.
“Veterinarians are conducting the necropsy in the field. We have not received the results, so we cannot determine the cause of death yet,” he said here Monday.
The agency received a report on Sunday (Aug. 9) that a Sumatran elephant carcass had been found at PT MPLI’s palm oil plantation in Kaloy Village, Tamiang Hulu Subdistrict.
A PT MPLI worker found the carcass at about noon and reported it to police, that then informed the Aceh conservation agency, Ujang said.
Following the report, agency officers, Aceh Tamiang police, Tamiang Hulu police and company representatives inspected the site, conducted an initial examination, and secured the area.
“Initial identification showed the dead elephant was male, with both tusks intact. There were also no wounds on the protected animal’s body,” Ujang said.
The Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is a protected species found only on Sumatra and classified as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
Authorities urged residents to help protect Sumatran elephants by preserving forests, their natural habitat, and refraining from capturing, injuring or killing wildlife.
They also urged people not to keep, possess, transport or trade protected wildlife, alive or dead, or use traps or poison that could cause their deaths.
Violations involving protected wildlife may result in criminal penalties under Indonesian law, authorities said.
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Translator: M.Haris SA, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Primayanti
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