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Singer Tulus continues campaign to help protect Sumatran elephants
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Tulus promoted a similar program last year called #JanganBunuhGajah (Don't Kill Elephants) to raise awareness about the alarming decrease in Indonesia's elephant population.
(situstulus.com/-)
S
inger Tulus is collaborating with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia to create a new campaign titled #TemanGajah (Friends of Elephants) that aims to protect Sumatran elephants.
Tulus promoted a similar program last year called #JanganBunuhGajah (Don't Kill Elephants) to raise awareness about the alarming decrease in Indonesia's elephant population.
The singer, who created a song inspired by elephants and had an elephant named Yongki appear in his music video in 2014, shared how he was deeply saddened upon hearing the news that Yongki had been killed for his ivory at the same time his album titled Gajah (Elephant) was named best album at Anugerah Musik Indonesia 2015.
Collaborating with fundraising portal KitaBisa.com, business consultant company Big Change Indonesia and design studios NUSAE and Synchro, Tulus said that this year's campaign is taking a different approach by placing donation boxes in 20 elementary schools in Jakarta to instill a love of nature in the younger generation.
Read also: Tulus, Haruka JKT48 named Indonesia-Japan 'Friendship Ambassadors'
Targeting to collect Rp 1 billion (US$74,000) that will be used to purchase GPS-tracking collars for elephants, the campaign will also be spread among junior high schools, high schools and universities.
"Our target is to purchase 20 collars; one costs Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million," said Tulus as quoted by Antara news agency on Oct. 19, adding that the trackers will come from Africa.
WWF elephant counsellor special coordinator Wishnu Sukmantoro said the Sumatran elephants’ population decreases each year. In 1985, the number reached between 2,400 and 4,800, but by last year, it had dropped to less than 2,000.
Wishnu added that the number of elephant herds was also decreasing.
"I saw a herd of 108 elephants back in 1994. But in 2012, we could only find 50 to 60 elephants in a herd," he said.
In addition to being hunted, elephants are threatened by destroyed habitat due to land conversion, which leads to dwindling food supply. (kes)
