DreamWavez
04-11-06, 05:02 PM
On March 21, ten endangered wild Sumatran elephants, chained to trees without food or water, were found by WWF on the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia. They had been captured by the Riau Provincial Forestry Service after feeding on the crops of a nearby village. WWF has since provided food, water, and emergency medical care to the elephants, but their fate remains uncertain.
Only three weeks earlier, six other elephants had been found dead in an illegal oil palm plantation in Riau, apparently poisoned in retaliation for feeding in the plantation.
These are the latest casualties in an escalating conflict between elephants and humans in central Sumatra, the direct result of uncontrolled and often illegal destruction of the elephants’ forest habitat usually for oil palm and pulp.
The Libo Forest, at the center of current conflicts, is one of only a few remaining retreats for elephants in central Sumatra. Balai Raja Duri Wildlife Sanctuary, where the ten chained elephants were found, was covered with 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) of forest when it was declared in 1986. Today, only 260 hectares (642 acres) remain.
The loss of their habitat has resulted in massive conflicts between humans and elephants who are forced to feed on crops that have replaced their natural foods. This causes huge damage not only to local livelihoods, but also to houses and other property, and it sometimes causes human death. In retaliation, elephants are poisoned, shot, or die when captured by the authorities.
As a result, Riau’s elephant population has dramatically fallen to around 400 in 2003, a decline of 50 percent in just five years.
This current crisis of humans and elephants dying is unnecessary. Human-elephant conflict can be avoided if elephants are given enough room to live and if these confrontations were dealt with professionally. Sadly, this is not happening in Riau.
WWF is calling for the immediate end to all logging, encroachment, and conversion of elephant forests in Riau to protect the elephants' remaining habitat. The government should also immediately extend the size of the existing Tesso Nilo National Park from 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) to at least 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres).
Link to petition:
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=29585
Only three weeks earlier, six other elephants had been found dead in an illegal oil palm plantation in Riau, apparently poisoned in retaliation for feeding in the plantation.
These are the latest casualties in an escalating conflict between elephants and humans in central Sumatra, the direct result of uncontrolled and often illegal destruction of the elephants’ forest habitat usually for oil palm and pulp.
The Libo Forest, at the center of current conflicts, is one of only a few remaining retreats for elephants in central Sumatra. Balai Raja Duri Wildlife Sanctuary, where the ten chained elephants were found, was covered with 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) of forest when it was declared in 1986. Today, only 260 hectares (642 acres) remain.
The loss of their habitat has resulted in massive conflicts between humans and elephants who are forced to feed on crops that have replaced their natural foods. This causes huge damage not only to local livelihoods, but also to houses and other property, and it sometimes causes human death. In retaliation, elephants are poisoned, shot, or die when captured by the authorities.
As a result, Riau’s elephant population has dramatically fallen to around 400 in 2003, a decline of 50 percent in just five years.
This current crisis of humans and elephants dying is unnecessary. Human-elephant conflict can be avoided if elephants are given enough room to live and if these confrontations were dealt with professionally. Sadly, this is not happening in Riau.
WWF is calling for the immediate end to all logging, encroachment, and conversion of elephant forests in Riau to protect the elephants' remaining habitat. The government should also immediately extend the size of the existing Tesso Nilo National Park from 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) to at least 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres).
Link to petition:
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=29585