A Sumatran elephant found dead inside Tesso Nilo National Park on 12 October 2012. This death increase number of elephant deaths in Tesso Nilo forest block during this year. Eight elephants were recorded dead   in Tesso Nilo from March to October 2012. Meanwhile three other elephants were found dead in three other districts in Riau province.

This juvenile elephant was found dead at first by rangers of Tesso Nilo National Park office on 11 October 2012. The scene is situated inside Tesso Nilo national Park, Lubuk Kembang Bunga Village, Ukui Sub District, Pelalawan District. The elephant which is about 5-6 years old was found with complete tusks. A pair of the tusks was confiscated then by Tesso Nilo National Park office.

The Natural Resources Conservation Agency of Riau then made an autopsy against this elephant on 13 October accompanied by the police of Ukui sub district and WWF team. Samples of internal organ such as liver, lymph  were taken and sent to laboratory  for examination. From the data gathered in the field, the elephant is suspected to die from consuming something containing with toxic material as the liver has turned into blackish.

Faith of Sumatran elephant this year is not getting better though in 2011 the world conservation organization, IUCN has raised the status of its presence in the nature from endangered to critically endangered. With this status, elephant faces one step ahead before it becomes extinct in the nature. Lack of law enforcement against elephant deaths is one of the factors that cause series of elephant deaths. Until October 2012, only one case of the eleven elephant deaths that law enforcement process has been commenced that is a case of elephant death in Tesso Nilo National park that happened in 31 May 2012.

Radaimon, Head of Tesso Nilo Community Forum regretted the series of elephant’s death in Tesso Nilo. He says,” The loss of natural habitat inside Tesso Nilo forest due to massive encroachment is the cause of the elephant death therefore handling the encroachment is something that is very urgent to be done by the authority.’

He adds,” Law enforcement against the elephant death must also be done in the effort to give deterrent effect to the culprit so that no more elephant killing occurred.”

From 2004 to October 2012, WWF recorded 91 Sumatran elephant were dead in Riau which are mostly due to conflict and poaching. However from the total number, only one case of elephant death that had been processed through law enforcement that was a case of elephant poaching that occurred in Rokan Hulu District in August 2005. Law enforcement against elephant death must be intensified to halt elephant death in Riau. Government is also expected to take immediate action to protect shrinking elephant habitat.