Powered, BKSDA Says Two Dead Elephants In Aceh In The Last Month

JAKARTA - Two Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) were found dead in Aceh Province. The Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) suspects that the elephant died from being electrocuted. At least, two elephants died from the span of the past month.

"The case of elephant death was thought to have been electrocuted, the last one occurred in Karang Ampar Village, Ketol District, Central Aceh Regency, on Saturday, March 9," said Head of BKSDA Aceh Ujang Wisnu Barat in Banda Aceh, quoted from ANTARA, Saturday, March 16.

Previously, dead elephants were thought to have been electrocuted in the Panton Limeng area, Aki Neungoh Village, Bandar Baru District, Pidie Jaya Regency. The male wild elephant estimated to be 13 years old was found dead on Tuesday, March 20.

The location of the dead elephant in Pidie Jaya is in a community plantation. At the location where the elephant died, an electric fence was found. During the necropsy or carcass surgery, electric wire was found wrapped on the right leg and part of the elephant's body.

Meanwhile, at the location where the elephant was found dead in Karang Ampar, Ketol District, said Ujang Wisnu, it was also found that the remaining wires and plastic hoses were suspected of hanging electrical cables.

"On these findings, we made a report to the Central Aceh Police for an investigation into the death of the wild elephant. We also continue to coordinate on the development of handling the death of the wild elephant," said Ujang Wisnu Barat.

Ujang Wisnu said that based on the results of the necropsy, the dead elephant in Central Aceh Regency, it was known that the elephant was male at the age of 45 years and did not have ivory.

"Based on the necropsy carried out macroscopically or Kasatmata, it is suspected that the death of an elephant in a community plantation in Karang Ampar Village, Ketol District, Central Aceh Regency, was due to an electric current," he said.

Sumatran elephants are protected wildlife. Referring to the list of The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, Sumatran elephants are only found on the island of Sumatra with critically endangered species, at high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Aceh BKSDA expressed concern because there were still elephant deaths in several areas in the province. Therefore, the BKSDA urges the public to jointly preserve nature, especially the Sumatran elephant wildlife by not destroying the forest which is the habitat of various types of animals, and not capturing, injuring, killing.

In addition, it also does not store, own, maintain, transport, and trade protected animals alive or dead and does not install snares or toxins that can cause death.

"All acts against protected wildlife can be subject to criminal sanctions in accordance with applicable laws and regulations," said Ujang Wisnu Barat.