Indonesia: Elephant dies after losing half of its trunk in a snare trap

An Indonesian Sumatran elephant calf died after losing half of his trunk in a trap set by poachers, “We did everything we could to help him. ”

Elephant dies after losing half of its trunk in a snare trap

The one-and-a-half-year-old elephant succumbed to a serious infection two days after being found by neighbors in a village in Aceh province in the north of the island. “We couldn’t save him because his wound was deep and infected,” Agus Arianto, director of Aceh’s nature protection agency, said Tuesday. “We did everything we could to help him. “

The rest of the elephant’s trunk had been amputated in an attempt to save him. The animal, which belongs to an endangered species, appeared alert after the operation, according to images released by authorities. But then infection took over.

Reduction of the elephants’ natural habitat

The Indonesian association for the protection of nature Walhi, concerned about the large number of elephants found dead in Sumatra, called on local authorities for “a thorough investigation” in a message posted on its Twitter account.

Deforestation has reduced the natural habitat of elephants on the island in Indonesia’s far west and is causing increasingly frequent conflicts between animals and humans, especially farmers who want to protect their farms from damage caused by the animals.

Elephants are also being killed for their ivory tusks, which are highly sought after by traffickers.

In recent years, there have been several cases of elephant poisoning in Indonesia. In July, the carcass of a 12-year-old boy was found headless and helpless in a palm oil plantation.

The Aceh Nature Conservation Agency estimates that fewer than 500 Sumatran elephants still survive in the wild.