By: Sani Firmansyah (Supporter Center Officer) and Denaya Karenzi (Volunteer Panda Mobile)

After inviting the public to preserve the Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus) in October 2017 through the #TemanGajah Campaign, singer Tulus on Monday (26/02) surprised the students and teachers of SDN 01 Menteng Jakarta with his presence to tell the story of the Sumatran Elephant. SDN 01 Menteng is one of the schools participating in the campaign. Working together, they have managed to raise Rp5,268,000, - which will then be combined with donations collected from kitabisa.com to buy a GPS satellite collar.

"Elephants are currently endangered because many humans are trying to hunt for their ivory. In addition, its home, the forest, has been reduced because it has been turned into industry, mining, plantations, and even settlements. I am currently raising funds to support WWF-Indonesia's conservation efforts," said Tulus during the sharing session.

Sumatran elephants are currently included in the critically endangered species red list issued by the World Conservation Organization, IUCN. The threatened population of Sumatran elephants prompted Tulus to create the #TemanGajah Tulus campaign on the kitabisa.com platform.

"Thank you Kak Tulus, kitabisa.com, and the students of SDN 01 Menteng for caring about the existence of Sumatran Elephants. All the money donated will be used to buy a satellite collar that will be attached to the Sumatran elephant's neck. With this tool, we can know the whereabouts of the Sumatran Elephant and it is easier to protect it," said Sani Firmansyah, Supporter Center Officer WWF-Indonesia.

On that occasion, one of Panda Mobile's volunteers, Denaya Karenzi also explained the importance of elephants in the ecosystem. "Why do we have to protect Sumatran elephants? Because this intelligent animal can maintain the ecosystem and food chain in nature. Elephants eat fruits. Later in their feces (feces), there will be seeds from the fruit and indirectly elephants help spread plant seeds in the forest, "he explained.

"I thank Tulus and the WWF-Indonesia team for sharing information about Sumatran elephants and the importance of these animals. Hopefully our children can continue to support nature conservation in Indonesia," said Edy Kusyanto, Principal of SDN 01 Menteng Jakarta. Tulus' surprise that day was closed by singing the song "Gajah" together.