Plead for Investigation Into Frequent Poisoning Deaths of Elephants In Indonesia

Please sign and share this petition to encourage Indonesia Wildlife Federation to investigate the reason and causes as to why so many elephants have been poisoned.

There have been at least seven Sumatran elephants found dead in the Western Indonesia area, all thought to have been poisoned. The Sumatran elephant is a highly endangered species and wildlife officials are concerned that, through conflict, humans are interacting with these animals due to the rapid expansion of palm oil plantations that destroy their habitat. The latest deaths include an adult female, five male teenagers, and a male calf believed to be from the same herd, all found outside Tesso Nilo National Park.

Spokesman for the wildlife agency stated that "There is an indication that they were poisoned. Some people may consider the elephants a threat to their palm oil plantations and poison them.” The Sumatran elephants are displaced from their rainforest habitats in order make way for plantations. Villagers consider them to be pests and try to rid them from their areas. While most concessions for palm oil companies are granted outside Tesso Nilo, in Riau province in eastern Sumatra, many villagers still illegally set up plantations inside the park where the elephants live.

Additionally, the elephant deaths can be due to poachers of this smallest Asian elephant in order to get their ivory tusks. These elephants are critically endangered with only about 2,400 to 2,800 remaining in the wild. They need to be protected or they will become extinct in very short time. Please sign and share this petition to encourage Indonesia Wildlife Federation to investigate the reason and causes as to why so many elephants have been poisoned.