A villager watches the carcass of an elephant without its head and trunk, which was believed to have been killed by poisoning in Pante Kuyun Village, Aceh Jaya, Indonesia on Wednesday. (EPA Photo/Hotli Simanjuntak) A villager watches the carcass of an elephant without its head and trunk, which was believed to have been killed by poisoning in Pante Kuyun Village, Aceh Jaya, Indonesia on Wednesday. (EPA Photo/Hotli Simanjuntak)
Banda Aceh, Indonesia. An official says a second endangered Sumatran elephant has been poisoned in western Indonesia, apparently by villagers trying to protect their crops.
Forestry Ministry official Harmidi says the carcass of the 20-year-old male elephant was discovered Wednesday near a plantation in Aceh province.
Harmidi, who uses only one name, says a group of elephants had been wandering in the area in recent days, roaring and destroying crops.
An 18-year-old female died in Aceh after being poisoned in late April.
As forests disappear, elephants stray into inhabited areas in search of food.
Fewer than 3,000 Sumatran elephants are left in the wild and environmentalists warn that they could be extinct within three decades unless steps are taken to protect them.
Associated Press