Residents Drive Away Wild Elephants In West Aceh Using Firecrackers

Oil palm plants belonging to farmers in Seimantok Village, Pante Ceureumen District, West Aceh Regency, were damaged by a herd of wild elephants, Friday (27/1/2023) afternoon. ANTARA/HO-private documentation

MEULABOH - The community in Pante Ceureumen Subdistrict, West Aceh Regency was forced to drive away the disturbance of wild elephants by burning firecrackers as an effort to keep the wild animals from destroying the plants in the residents' gardens.

"The firecrackers burning carried out by the community is one of the ways to stop elephants from visiting community gardens," said the Head of Pante Ceureumen Sub-District, West Aceh District, Zulkarnain reported by ANTARA, Monday, January 30.

The action of burning the firecrackers was carried out after a herd of wild elephants damaged plantation crops belonging to the community in Seumantok Village, Pante Ceureumen District, West Aceh District which occurred a few days ago.

As a result of this incident, at least two hectares of community-owned oil palm plantations in this area were badly damaged because they were targeted by elephants.

Zulkarnaen explained that Pante Ceureumen District, West Aceh District has always been one of the areas frequently disturbed by wild elephants every year.

Zulkarnaen admitted, in one year, at least five to six cases of elephant disturbance occurred in the area, so the losses incurred in the community were also not small.

His party hopes that the disturbance of wild elephants that have been occurring in Pante Ceureumen District, West Aceh Regency, can be of particular concern to the Aceh Province Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), in order to carry out further handling.

He hopes that in the future conflicts between wild animals and the community can be minimized and avoided.