Siti Zubaidah, Luis Vigo, Vini Alvioita and Ester Juwita have caught the attention of many people as they acclimatize to their new refuge in a pine forest in Simalagun regency in North Sumatra.

The tame elephants are the residents of the newly opened Aek Nauli Elephant Conservation Camp that sits on 100 hectares not far from North Sumatra’s iconic Lake Toba.

The conservation camp is part of the ecotourism destination developed within the lake’s national strategic area. The central government has made it one of the new main tourism destinations in the country with massive infrastructure and tourism developments aimed to facilitate both domestic and foreign tourists to visit the scenic area that is rich in culture and attractions.

Wiratno, director general of Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) at the Environment and Forestry Ministry, said the conservation camp aimed to serve not only as a tourism alternative, but to also offer education programs to the public.

“It is good for students and everyone. Besides being a tourist destination, the conservation camp can serve as a place to learn about nature and biology,” he said recently.

Moreover, the main purpose of the conservation area is to assist with an elephant breeding program. The IUCN red list included Sumatran elephants as a critically endangered species with the population continuing to decline on the back of massive deforestation.

Seno Pramudita, the head of Region II of the BKSDA office, said the four elephants — three females and one male — had been reared and trained at the Holiday Resort elephant training center in Aek Raso, South Labuhan Batu in North Sumatra.

The elephants have been at the Aek Nauli Elephant Conservation Camp since September and have easily adapted to their new home since being transferred from the training center.

The conservation camp cost Rp 5 billion (US$369,000), which was taken from the State Budget and the North Sumatra BKSDA’s budget.

“We hope this conservation camp will also boost Lake Toba as one of Indonesia’s prominent tourist destinations,” Seno said.

Visitors were enthusiastic to see the four largest land mammals at the site.

Roma Harianja, a resident of Tiga Dolok village in Simalungun, said she had visited the camp twice with her family since it opened on Thursday.

“We really enjoy traveling here. We can take photos with the elephants and the location is also near Lake Toba,” she told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

Yopi, 20, who is one of six elephant handlers or mahouts in Aek Nauli, said the elephants have been trained and have skills like putting ulos (Bataknese traditional fabric) on people, playing with balls and posing for pictures.

“Visitors should not be afraid of them as they are all tame and well-trained,” he added.

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