Elephants attack Aceh fruit plantations<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post, Aceh Besar<\/p>\n
It has been almost a month since Sakdani had a good night's
\nsleep; before he began staying up into the early hours of the
\nmorning to protect his banana plantation from rampaging
\nelephants.<\/p>\n
\"If I fall asleep my entire banana plantation will be
\ndestroyed by the elephants,\" a weary Sakdani told The Jakarta
\nPost on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Sakdani said areas of the plantation had already been ruined
\nby the elephants, and we would do everything in his power to
\nprotect the rest of his land.<\/p>\n
Other residents are facing the same problem of how to protect
\ntheir watermelon and papaya plantations from the elephants, whose
\nhabitat has shrunk drastically over the past several years.<\/p>\n
The area around Sakdani's plantation is prone to elephant
\nattacks, being situated on the edge of the animals' natural
\nhabitat. Sakdani recalls that when he was a child, he would see
\nhundreds of elephants wandering through the forest near Teuladan
\nsubdistrict, Aceh Besar regency, some 35 kilometers south of
\nBanda Aceh.<\/p>\n
However, the number of elephants in the area has plunged in
\nrecent years and Sakdani estimates there are no more than dozens
\nof elephants left in the area.<\/p>\n
Despite their small numbers, the number of conflicts between
\nelephants and residents has risen. This is probably because the
\nelephants' habitat has been drastically reduced by illegal
\nlogging, leaving the animals to roam through the plantations
\nnear Teuladan subdistrict in search of food.<\/p>\n
The animals not only take fruit from the plantations, but they
\nalso fell trees and electricity poles.<\/p>\n
Sakdani worried that it was only a matter of time before the
\nelephants began attacking the residential areas located about two
\nkilometers from the plantations.<\/p>\n
\"When night falls the elephants come from all different
\ndirections and begin to steal fruit,\" said Sakdani.<\/p>\n
The threat is real and if something is not done the farmers
\nwill suffer crippling losses, Sakdani said, pointing out that
\nsince the elephant attacks began in earnest a couple of years ago
\npapaya and banana production in the area had dropped by about 40
\npercent.<\/p>\n
A group of plantation owners have gotten together to protect
\ntheir land, using anything at their disposal to stop the
\nanimals.<\/p>\n
Residents have notified the local government several times
\nabout the problem, but has so far received no assistance.<\/p>\n
According to a government estimate, the number of elephants in
\nthe area is about 400. The animals are on the brink of
\ndisappearing entirely from the area due to poaching and illegal
\nlogging, which has destroyed the elephants' natural habitat.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/elephants-attack-aceh-fruit-plantations-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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