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Islands in focus: Elephant carcass found rotting, tusks missing
The number of Sumatran elephants has declined further, a carcass of a male elephant having been found decomposing in Suluk Bongkal hamlet, Koto Pahit subdistrict, Pinggir district, Bengkalis regency, Riau
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T
he number of Sumatran elephants has declined further, a carcass of a male elephant having been found decomposing in Suluk Bongkal hamlet, Koto Pahit subdistrict, Pinggir district, Bengkalis regency, Riau.
Riau Natural Resources Conservation Center's (BKSDA) Section III head Haluanto Ginting said the discovery of the elephant carcass had been reported by PT Arara Abadi staff members on Monday evening.
'The remains were found in the company's concession area,' Haluanto told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Tuesday.
'A BKSDA team from Duri arrived at the scene at 11 p.m. local time and performed a necropsy on the elephant carcass, after which it was immediately buried at the site.'
The male elephant, measuring 2.5 meters long and 1.8 m tall, was between 16 and 18 years of age and is believed to have died a week ago. Haluanto added that the elephant, whose tusks were missing, appeared to have been poisoned.
'However, lab tests must be done to verify. We have sent samples from its stomach and internal organs to the veterinary lab in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, to find out whether it died of natural causes or poisoning,' he said.
