Ministry announces new elephant calf birth at Tesso Nilo National Park

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2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry announced the birth of a male Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) calf, born to a mother elephant named Lisa, on Monday (Sept 28).

The birth took place at Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) in Pelalawan District, Riau.

In a statement received here on Tuesday, Tesso Nilo National Park Head Heru Sutmantoro explained the birth marks Lisa’s sixth calf and is an important part of efforts to support the sustainability of the Sumatran elephant population.

“The calf was born from breeding between Lisa and a wild elephant, which shows reproductive interaction between managed elephants and the wild elephant population in the Tesso Nilo National Park area,” he said.

Intensive monitoring of Lisa has been carried out by a joint team consisting of mahouts or elephant handlers, veterinarians, and animal caretakers since Sunday (Sept 27).

The monitoring began after the team detected several clinical signs ahead of labor, including hardening of the mammary glands and increased restlessness compared to her usual daily condition.

The birth took place on Monday (Sept 28) at 7:00 p.m. local time, when Lisa successfully gave birth to a male calf on her own and in safe condition at the Elephant Flying Squad (EFS) Camp in Tesso Nilo National Park.

About 20 minutes after the birth, the calf already showed good reflexes and physical strength, standing upright and supporting its own body independently.

Currently, the veterinary team and mahouts continue to provide round-the-clock supervision to monitor early nutritional intake and ensure the physical condition of both the mother and calf remains stable and safe.

Tesso Nilo National Park praised the entire field team, mahouts, and medical personnel who remained on standby to oversee the birth process until it went smoothly.

It also expressed hope that this birth would serve as a positive momentum to strengthen conservation efforts for the Sumatran elephant, while raising public awareness of the importance of protecting habitat and sustaining the species’ population in the wild.