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View all search resultsCritically endangered Sumatran elephant found dead in flood-hit Aceh
The discovery was the latest in a string of elephant deaths in recent months that has heightened concern over the endangered species’ survival.
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A Sumatran elephant roams in a Sampoiniet Camp Conservation Response Unit area, on Nov. 29, 2017, in Aceh Jaya regency, Aceh. The population of Sumatran elephants has continued to decrease in Sumatra due to poaching, damaged ecosystems and conflict with humans. (Antara/Irwansyah Putra)
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Sumatran elephant has been found dead in Aceh following massive flooding that devastated parts of Sumatra over the past week, the latest in a string of elephant deaths in recent months that has heightened concern over the endangered species’ survival.
Residents of Meunasah Lhok village in Pidie regency discovered the carcass over the weekend, half-buried in a mass of wood and mud debris.
The elephant was found near the Meureudu River and is believed to have been carried downstream by the floodwaters when the river overflowed.
“We don’t have elephants in this area. Residents have never seen one here because they usually live deep inside the forest. This is the first time we’ve seen an elephant die because of flooding,” local resident Muhammad Yunus said, as quoted by Antara.
He added that the flood had also swept large amounts of wood debris downstream, causing severe damage to residents’ homes and public facilities.
Read also: Two more Sumatran Elephants die amid growing threats from deforestation
According to Yunus, villagers were unable to evacuate the elephant’s carcass due to access difficulties, and a lack of proper equipment. The location where the animal was found had become isolated after the flooding and can only be reached on foot after a two-hour walk.
