Indonesia: Juvenile elephant initially thought dead released back into jungle

stephanie lee The Star 19 Jun 19;


KOTA KINABALU: A seriously injured juvenile male pygmy elephant thought to be already dead in May has been nurtured to reasonable health and released back into the wild.

Though wildlife rangers are not completely sure it has fully recovered, they have high hopes it will survive and be reunited with its herd.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga (pic) said the elephant was in bad shape when it was discovered at an estate in Sabah’s central Telupid district on May 22, and could not even stand.

He said the male elephant believed aged between five and eight, was immediately taken in for medical treatment.

“When the elephant was found, he could not even stand, there was a huge hole on its back and, at that time, there was a serious infection,” he said when contacted Wednesday (June 19).

Indonesia: BKSDA rescues trapped, injured female elephant calf in East Aceh

Antara 19 Jun 19;

Banda Aceh, Aceh (ANTARA) - A team rescued a trapped elephant calf that contracted infection from injuries in a forest area in Batu Sumbang Village, Simpang Jernih Sub-district, East Aceh District, Aceh Province, Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) stated.

"The trapped elephant calf is a female. She is about a year old," Sapto Aji Prabowo, head of the Aceh BKSDA, remarked here on Wednesday.

The calf's left front leg got wounded following contact with a metal wire mesh.

"She has contracted a serious infection. Moreover, the elephant calf is suffering from dehydration. She got separated from her herd," Prabowo noted.

Indonesia: Konawe flooding's impact wide-ranging, with 22,573 affected

Antara 19 Jun 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) reported that flooding in Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi Province, has affected 5,847 families comprising 22,573 people in 24 sub-districts with 166 villages devastated.

Torrential downpour triggered flooding that resulted in the rivers of Konaweeha, Lahambuti, and Rawa Aopa overflowing their banks, BNPB spokesperson Rita Rosita remarked here on Wednesday.

Information from the Konawe disaster mitigation office on Tuesday indicated that the sub-districts of Pondidaha, Wonggeduku, and West Wonggeduku are still submerged in floodwaters of between 30 centimeters and a meter in height.

Indonesia to restore 200,000 hectares of peatland this year

Reuters 19 Jun 19;

JAKARTA, June 19 (Reuters) - Indonesia's Peatland Restoration Agency said on Wednesday that it aims to restore 200,000 hectares of peatland in 2019, as it races to reach a 1 million hectare restoration target by the end of next year.

The agency was set up in 2016 to restore carbon-rich peatland damaged by fires in seven provinces on Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua islands in 2015.

Indonesia was subsequently blamed for one of the worst ever peat and forest fire crises that blanketed much of Southeast Asia in thick haze and caused billions of dollars of economic losses.

Up to 2018, the agency had restored around 679,000 hectares of peatland, Nazir Foead, head of the Peat Restoration Agency, said.