Elephants run amok in jambi oil palm, rubber plantations

Antara 17 Oct 11;

Muaratebo, Jambi (ANTARA News) - Tens of elephants have been running amok in oil palm and rubber plantations in Koto VII Sub-district, in Tebo District, Jambi Province, Sumatra, since Friday (Oct 14).

The elephants destroyed hundreds of hectares of oil palm and rubber plantations at Teluk Kayu Putih, Tanjung, Kuamang and Aur Cino villages, Tanjung Village Head Safarudin, said here on Monday.

They attacked the plantations in the evening, Safarudin said.

Local villagers have been constantly on guard for the last three weeks to protect their plantations from the herd of elephants but they could not prevent the animals` destruotive behavior.

They reported the elephants` attacks to the Tebo district administration and the provincial natural resource conservation agency (BKSDA).

Tebo district administration and BKSDA personnel did come to Tanjung village but they only checked the damages, he said.

The rubber and oil palm plantations are located around 15 km from Tanjung village. Earlier this year, a local villager was killed by a herd of elephants.

Conflicts between Sumatran elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) and humans have increased over the past few years claiming lives among both humans and elephants but mostly among the giant animals. (*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli