Indonesia: Population of Sumatra elephants in critical condition

Antara 9 Jul 12;

Pekanbaru (ANTARA News) - The population of Sumatra elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) living in Riau, Indonesia, is in critical condition following increasing cases of death," a spokesman of WWF (World Wildlife Fund) Syamsidar said.

"The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is raising the threatened status of Sumatra elephant from precarious to critical meaning only a step to be extinct," he added.

This is the worst condition compared to the other elephant sub species which inhibit in Asia and Africa.

In the last nine months there are seven elephant which died in Riau, and of the seven died in Tesso Nilo forest inside and outside the protected forest.

According to Syamsidar the number is increasingly rising compared to the previous years which were only two elephants which died due to hunting.

From 2004 to June 2012, WWF recorded at least 90 Sumatra elephants died.

Currently the number of Sumatran elephants in the wild is estimated at no more than 2,400 to 2,800, decreasing by 50 percent from the previous population of 3,000 to 5,000 in 2007.

The extinction of natural habitat as a result of the change in the functions of forests is the main cause of the declining of elephant population.

The death of seven Sumatra elephants in Tesso Nilo forest are investigated by the Tesso Nilo National Park Center, Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center, and the Police.