BKSDA Records 120 Sumatran Elephants Spread In Jambi TNBT

The Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is in Bukit Tigapuluh Jambi National Park. BETWEEN/HO/BKSDA Jambi.

JAMBI - The Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of Jambi Province noted that so far there are as many as 90-120 Sumatran elephants or Elephas maximus sumatranus who live in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (TNBT) Jambi Province.

"Until now, we have recorded that there are around 120 elephants living in the habitat of Bukit Tigapuluh National Park which stretches from Tebo Regency to Tanjung Jabung Barat, Jambi Province," said Jambi Province BKSDA Public Relations Zuhratus Saleh in Jambi, Thursday, November 14, as reported by Antara.

He explained that currently in Jambi Province the elephant habitat bag is in the TNBT landscape, then around Bungo Regency as a buffer, and in the Kerinci Seblat National Park (TNKS) area around Sarolangun and Batanghari Regencies, or in the realm of Meranti Harapan.

Then for the number of Sumatran elephants in Jambi currently only exists in several habitats in Jambi Province, the BKSDA has not carried out an intensive calculation so there is no exact data.

"What is certain is that the number is far less than those in the landscape of the thirty hills that have been recorded by the BKSDA," said Zuhuratus Saleh.

The local BKSDA also continues to monitor the development of the elephant population in Jambi, where its population is still estimated to be quite stable, because there was birth and there were also deaths that were monitored by the team in the field.

The stable population of Sumatran elephants in the TNBT habitat is also supported by the Tebo Elephant Conservation Information Center (PIKG), which was built with the aim of animal maintenance to mitigate conflicts between Sumatran elephants and humans.

Then for community environmental education, research and species development, economic development of the surrounding community, support the ecotourism of wild elephants in their habitat, and the management of elephant centers and information.

"PIKG Tebo is administratively located in Muara Sekalo Village, Sumai District, Tebo Regency, and to be able to get to the location from the center of the capital city of Jambi Province, it can be accessed by land with a distance from Jambi City to Tebo for five hours, and from Tebo to its location for more than an hour," said Zuhratus Saleh.