The conservation world is once again in mourning. A Sumatran elephant\nin Tesso Nilo National Park, Pelalawan, Riau, has been reported dead.\nThe death of the elephant, named Indro, has shocked animal lovers and\nenvironmental activists, especially as the area recently lost another\nelephant. Indro was reported dead on Monday, 29 June 2026, at around\n03.45 WIB. The male elephant died at the age of 45. Indro had long\nserved in supporting the Tesso Nilo National Park Flying Squad in\nmitigating human-wildlife conflict around Tesso Nilo.<\/p>\n
Riau Police Chief Expresses Condolences<\/p>\n
Riau Police Chief Inspector General Pol Herry Heryawan also expressed\nhis condolences over the death of Indro, who was known as the \u2018captain\u2019\nguarding against human-wildlife conflict in TNTN. \u201cThe passing of Indro,\nthe Sumatran elephant who for decades was part of the Tesso Nilo\nNational Park Elephant Flying Squad, leaves deep sorrow for all nature\nand wildlife lovers. His dedication to helping mitigate conflict between\nhumans and elephants is invaluable service,\u201d said Inspector General\nHerry Heryawan via his Instagram account. According to the Police Chief,\nIndro\u2019s death serves as a reminder that preserving nature, including\nwildlife and its ecosystems, is a shared responsibility. Therefore, the\nRiau Police\u2019s Green Policing initiative exists to strengthen\ncollaboration in maintaining the balance between humans, nature, and all\nliving creatures that are part of the Lancang Kuning earth. \u201cFarewell,\nIndro. The trail of your dedication will always be a reminder that every\nlife in nature has meaning and must be protected together,\u201d concluded\nInspector General Herry.<\/p>\n
Balai Taman Nasional Tesso Nilo revealed that the cause of Indro\u2019s\ndeath was health complications. Indro died during the musth phase.\n\u201cGajah Indro was declared dead after receiving intensive medical\ntreatment by a joint team from the Riau Natural Resources Conservation\nAgency and the Tesso Nilo National Park Office due to health\ncomplications triggered by a decrease in appetite following the musth\nphase,\u201d stated the Tesso Nilo National Park Office. For context, the\nmusth phase is a natural biological cycle in adult male elephants\ncharacterised by a surge in testosterone levels, up to ten times the\nnormal amount. During this phase, elephants exhibit more aggressive\nbehaviour, urine drips from the preputium, and an oily secretion emerges\nfrom the temporal glands located beneath the skin on both sides of the\nhead, between the eyes and ear holes. The musth phase indicates that the\nelephant is ready to reproduce, signifying new hope for the regeneration\nof this protected wildlife species. The Tesso Nilo National Park Office\nexplained that Indro\u2019s musth phase was first observed on 25 April 2026,\nwith behavioural changes becoming more aggressive from 1 May 2026,\nmarked by the discharge of fluid from the genital area. \u201cOn 6 May 2026,\nsecretion fluid from the musth holes in the temple area began to appear\nand was visibly wet,\u201d the statement added. As the musth phase\nprogressed, Indro became increasingly aggressive. By early June, at the\nsecurity tethering location, the elephant could no longer be approached,\ndid not respond to commands from the mahout, and began exhibiting\nbehaviour that endangered the safety of officers. To maintain his\nphysical condition, the Flying Squad team supplied feed such as banana\nstems, coconut fronds, and elephant grass, and ensured regular water\navailability every morning and evening from a safe distance.\nSubsequently, on 5 June 2026, the team also began bathing Indro using a\nwater pump machine to maintain his hygiene and stabilise his body\ntemperature. Due to the prolonged musth phase, the TNTN medical team, in\ncoordination with the Riau Natural Resources Conservation Agency,\nperformed sedation to fit additional chains as a safety measure.\nFollowing the procedure, the medical team administered an antidote until\nIndro regained full consciousness in a stable standing position. On\n25-26 June, the day after the sedation, Indro was observed to have a\ndrastically reduced appetite and water intake. The mahout and the TNTN\nmedical team immediately conducted intensive 24-hour monitoring and\ncoordinated closely with expert veterinarians for further treatment. The\nmedical team injected 100 ml of Biodin, an energy supplement, manually\nevacuated faeces, checked his body temperature, and administered five\nbottles of supportive intravenous fluids in the afternoon and another\nfive in the evening, as there was no significant improvement. On 28\nJune, Indro briefly showed positive signs after he began to drink water\nand attempted to touch his feed. To accelerate his physical recovery\nfrom the loss of appetite, the medical team administered 60 bottles of\nintravenous fluids. By the afternoon, Indro was bathed, willing to\ndrink, and his body temperature was normal; even close to his death, he\nwas still moving actively and showing interest in food. A sudden change\nin his condition occurred in the early hours of Monday, 29 June, at\n03.30 WIB. Indro was found in a lying position. The veterinarian and the\nmahout team immediately conducted an emergency check on his respiratory\nfunction and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation for several\nminutes. However, Indro did not respond and was officially declared dead\nat 03.45 WIB.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/remembering-indro-the-elephant-captain-who-guarded-tesso-nilo-from-conflict-1782867094", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }