Elephants in Indonesia

Elephant population in Bengkulu increases
Antara 17 Mar 11;

Bengkulu, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The population of wild elephants at the Elephant Training Center (PLG) in Seblat, North Bengkulu, Sumatra , has increased from 50 to 70 over the last two years.

During the first trimester of 2011, eight new baby elephants were born in the 6,800-ha forest area, Anom Zamora, head of the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Agency , said here Thursday.

Most of the wild elephants used to live outside the Seblat PLG and to disturb oil palm plantations.

After being herded into the Seblat PLG with the help of trained elephants, the wild elephants seemed to feel comfortable as there was a lot of food and no poachers at the PLG, Anom said.

"We have also assigned tens of forestry police to guard the PLG forest area and the wild elephants in order to prevent them from going out of the area because the PLG forest is surrounded by oilpalm plantations," he said.

The Seblat PLG was projected to become a conservation forest, he said.

Besides wild elephants, the PLG is also inhabited by thousands of species of reptiles, butterflies, protected birds, and white siamang monkeys.

Bengkulu Province has around 200 elephants found among other things in Bukit Barisan forest and the Seblat PLG.
(T. Z005/Uu.F001/HAJM/O001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH

BKSDA team handling elephants blocking road
Antara 21 Mar 11;

Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - Riau`s Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) has sent a team to Bala Raja town in Mandau subdistrict, Bengkalis district, to take charge of tree wild elephants reportedly blocking an access road to a housing complex.

"We dispatched a team this morning," a BBKSDA spokesperson, Hutomo, said here Monday.

The agency had earlier received a report that an adult elephant and two calves had been blocking the road to Cendana housing complex in Balai Raja, Mandau sub-district, Bengkalis district since Sunday (March 19).

The giant animals were seen lying on the road making residents afraid to enter the housing complex.

The two calves appeared to be very weak and d in poor health while the adult elephant was watching over them.

"We are going to check whether the two young elephants health condition was the main reason that they are resting on the road to the housing complex," he said.

The elephants would be taken directly to the elephant training center in Minas, Siak district, if they proved to be ill, Hutomo said.

"To do that, the elephants will be given a tranquilizer shot before transporting them the elephant center," he said.

Elephants presence in front of the Cendana housing complex attracted the attention of many passers-by who were thrilled by the rare sighting of three elephants lying on the ground. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli