Elephant Conflict Area And Residents Block Coklit In West Lampung

Wild Elephant Illustration (Unflash)

LAMPUNG BARAT - Conflict between wild elephants and humans in Suoh and Bandar Negeri Suoh sub-districts, West Lampung Regency, hampered the process of matching and research (coklit) voter data in the 2024 West Lampung Pilkada.

"Because from the information we received from PPS friends in the field, the herd of elephants still often approached the settlements so that residents were still working together to block the elephant herd," said Head of the West Lampung KPU Data and Information Planning Subdivision, Okto Priadi, quoted by ANTARA, Sunday, July 7.

He said that there were two sub-districts that were constrained by coklit, namely Suoh District and Suoh State Airport.

"First, at TPS 06 Talang Jeporo, Pemangku Marga Jaya, Pekon Bandar Agung, Bandar Negeri Suoh District, it became an obstacle for coklit because many residents helped dispel the herd of elephants," he said.

He added that in the area there were at least 382 voters who would be bulked.

"From the amount of data, only 200 eyes were selected. So there are still around 182 more that need to be done," he said.

Apart from Bandar Negeri Subdistrict Suoh, a herd of elephants also approached Pekon Sidorejo, Suoh District, so that the panteralih on duty could not meet with residents because they were still doing the same activity.

"Because at the same time residents were driving away elephants trying to enter residential areas, the data that will be costs by the panteranglih in Pekon Sidorejo is 882 and 256 have been hacked," he said.

Based on previous reports, a number of wild elephants entered the settlement and damaged a coffee plantation owned by residents in Pemangku Rowo Agung, Pekon (Village) Rowo Rejo, Suoh District, West Lampung Regency.

"This afternoon's wild elephant in Rawa Agung below has approached the Mada intersection and 50 meters from the settlement, and now it is still in brown kebon and coffee kebon in the current position in Pemangku Rowo Agung, Rowo Rejo Village, Suoh District," said the supervisor of the Gajah Suoh Conflict Task Force and Bandar Negeri Suoh (BNS), Sugeng Hari Kinaryo Adi, when contacted from South Lampung, Sunday.

He said the position of the wild elephant is currently still scattered into two groups. Therefore, his party is currently continuing to monitor the gaps that damaged the residents' gardens.

"Last night's elephant position spread that some have entered the rice fields and some are still above the settlement, and this afternoon this elephant also scattered. Earlier, the community monitored 6 of them, above about 100 meters from the road, and near Kebon there were 6 and the rest were near oil palm plantations," he said.

He explained that until now his party together with the local community were still monitoring the herd of wild elephants that entered the residents' settlements.

According to him, the Suoh Valley Task Force has now carried out silting and dispelling the herd of wild elephants.