Herd Of Wild Elephants Damages The Gardens Of Residents Of 3 Villages In Pidie

Illustration - A herd of wild Sumatran elephants is in a resident's garden in Negeri Antara Village, Pintu Rime District, Bener Meriah Regency, Aceh. BETWEEN PHOTOS/Irwansyah Putra

BANDA ACEH - A herd of wild elephants is reported to have damaged people's gardens in three gampongs/villages in the Kunyet settlement, Padangtiji District, Pidie Regency.

"The elephant entered the community's plantation area five days ago and damaged the residents' crops," said Zul Azmi, the village head of Kambuek Nicah Village, in Padangtiji, as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, August 16.

There are also three villages whose plants have been damaged by wild elephants, namely, Seunadeu Village, Blang Guci Village, Kambuek Nicah Village in Padangtiji District.

Zul Azmi said the herd of wild animals damaged local residents' crops in the form of areca nut, papaya, banana, coconut and several other types of plants.

"People's plants in Seunadeu Village and Blang Guci are the worst affected by elephants," he said.

According to him, among the herd of wild elephants, there is a baby elephant that is suspected to have just given birth in the community's garden.

Zul Azmi hopes that the relevant parties will immediately deal with this incident, because many farmers are disturbed so that they do not dare to carry out their activities and the wild animals are approaching residential areas.

Previously, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) stated that elephant-human conflicts in a number of areas in Aceh Province occurred almost every day.

The Head of the Conservation Section for Region I BKSDA Aceh Kamarudzaman said the elephant conflict occurred because the habitat of the protected animal was disturbed and damaged.

"Conflicts or disturbances of elephants against humans occur almost every day in Aceh. This happens because the forest area which is a protected wild habitat has been damaged or disturbed and has changed its function," said Kamarudzaman.

Kamarudzaman said the elephant population in Aceh Province is estimated at 500 to 600 individuals. Areas where elephant-human conflicts often occur include Pidie District, Bener Meriah District, and East Aceh District.