Farmers' Houses In Aceh Destroyed By A Herd Of Elephants

PHOTO VIA BETWEEN

BANDA ACEH - A farmer's house in Gampong Bunin Village, Serbajadi District, East Aceh Regency, was badly damaged by a herd of Sumatran elephants (Elephas Maximus Sumatramus).

“The house belongs to the farmer. The house was heavily damaged after several wild elephants attacked it", said the Head of Serbajadi Sub-district, Taufik Hidayat in East Aceh, quoted by Antara, Friday, September 3.

According to Taufik Hidayat, the damage caused one family who lived in the house to flee to a neighbor's house. The damage to the house is quite severe where the roof of the house is flat to the ground.

"We have coordinated with elements from the sub-district leadership and reported this incident to the leadership regarding the houses of residents who were badly damaged by elephants", said Taufik Hidayat.

He admitted that he had received many reports regarding conflicts between elephants and humans in Serbajadi Subdistrict, such as in Gampong Bunin.

According to community reports, said Taufik Hidayat, herds of Sumatran elephants often disturb residents' agricultural land. Even some of the huts in the residents' gardens have also been targeted by these protected animals

"We hope that the existence of the Conservation Response Unit, or CRU Serbajadi, can minimize elephant conflicts. The purpose of the CRU is to prevent elephant-human conflicts", said Taufik.

The Sumatran elephant is protected wildlife. Based on data from the world nature conservation organization, IUCN, Sumatran elephants are only found on the island of Sumatra. The animal is a critically endangered species and is at high risk of extinction in the wild.