Riau Elephant Dies In Relocation Area

Pekanbaru, Riau, (Antarariau.com) - The Sumatran elephant which was in coma while being relocated from Rokan Hulu to the Elephant Conservation Center (PKG) in Minas, Siak District, died on Wednesday evening.

"We tried our best to save her, but when we checked her heart, there was no breath," stated PKG Head Azwar Habidina, here on Thursday.

Since her arrival at the center on Sunday (Dec. 30), the 20-year-old elephant had been unconscious. The female elephant was not able to move, eat or drink. The elephant was given intravenous liquid food supplements.

The elephant was one of the four that were relocated from Rokan Hulu to Siak at the request of the Rokan Hulu District Head Achmad, since their original habitat had been converted into plantations and residential areas.

The four elephants were anesthetized while being transferred to their new home by trucks.

Meanwhile, 13 elephants had died at the Tesso Nilo National Park (TNTN) during 2013, according to WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature).

"Most of the elephants were poisoned," WWF Riau's spokesman Syamsidar stated recently.

The 13 fatalities have been found only in the Tesso Nilo National Park, while elephants killed in other Riau areas have not been included yet, he noted.

The 38,576-hectare national park located in the Riau Province was inaugurated on July 19, 2004, and has the province's largest elephant population.

The park also has 360 species of flora, 107 species of birds, 23 species of mammals, three species of primates, 50 species of fish, 15 species of reptiles and 18 species of amphibians.