By: Syamsidar

Two elephant carcasses were found dead in Tesso Nilo National Park on Sunday, 28 March 2010. Flying Squad team and Tesso Nilo National Park office received the report at Saturday afternoon, 27 March 2010 and found one male elephant carcass. As team searched the surrounding area, at the following morning, another elephant carcass was found. The left side tusk of the first carcass was cut off meanwhile both tusks of the second carcass were still available.
Team comprises of the Nature Conservation Agency of Riau, Tesso Nilo National Park office, the police and WWF was deployed immediately to the scene to search the area. From the condition, it was predicted that the two carcasses had been dead for a week. For further process, three tusks found in the scene were confiscated by the police. Meanwhile some samples of organs were taken for laboratory exam.

The two dead elephants which are assumed to be about six to seven years old were found in one of encroachment sites inside Tesso Nilo National Park at the south east part. Surrounding the scene, there was community palm oil plantation. From the field study, it is assumed that the elephants died due to the conflict with the encroachers.

Community believes that elephants are harmful. As a result they often handle the conflict with their own way which can harm elephant. In some cases, community aims to protect their crop from pest by smearing their crops with poisoned content stuffs. The authority is now investigating this case to find out the cause of the elephants’ death.
Law enforcement against elephant’s killing either caused by conflict or poaching must be intensified to give deterrent effect to perpetrators. Based on WWF’s record, within the last five years only one case of elephant killing that had been brought to court. In 2005, an elephant tusk poacher was caught in Mahato protection forest, Rokan Hulu Sub District, Riau and then the perpetrator was sentenced for 12.5 years in prison. Meanwhile, from 2005 to present, there were about 52 Sumatran elephant in Riau killed due to conflict and poaching.
Protection of remaining elephant habitats in Riau is a must. Nine remaining elephant pockets in Riau now are facing similar problems, degradation and fragmentation. The habitat which was once large and connected with other forest block now becomes fragmented due to forest conversion to plantation and settlement. Tesso Nilo forest block is one of the remaining habitats that is potential to be preserved.
In Tesso Nilo forest block comprises Tesso Nilo National Park and its surrounding area exists two elephant pockets that at present is inhabited by about 200 elephants. This area is planed to representative of Elephant Training Center in line with the issuance of regulation of Ministry of Forestry in 2006 on the gazzetment of Riau Province as Elephant Training Center. To make this happen, securing Tesso Nilo from encroachment is a priority. Hence, in the future human-elephant conflict in the area can be reduced.
Tesso Nilo National Park of 83,000 is now facing degradation of massive encroachment. About 28,600 ha of the park have been encroached and converted to palm oil plantation and settlement. Commitment and cooperation of authority and stakeholder to manage the encroachment in the area is urgently needed.